


Forgotten

by sky_fires



Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic
Genre: F/M, Slow Build, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2018-06-01 20:10:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 35
Words: 86,629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6534676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sky_fires/pseuds/sky_fires
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Unwillingly caught up in a act of treachery by her own squad, Kassella Ithesda must save the galaxy from her own all the while caught between doing her duty to her crew and the Republic and responsibility to her family.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Greetings from Ord Mantell Part 1

The shuttle ride form the orbital station was bumpy to say the least. Heavy gunfire from other ships flying overhead made it difficult to reach the landing point safely. Finally they landed and Kassela was more than a little eager to get off the damned thing as she was hurriedly escorted into a walker by a man wearing the Havoc Squad paint on his armor.

The took their respective seats as the driver of the walker activated the machine and they made their way across the warzone.

"Ahh there's nothing like the feeling of rising a hundred-tonne walker right through the middle of a combat zone, huh kid?" The man ventured, trying to engage in conversation.

A voice came over the intercom announcing their closeness to Delliad village. Kassela frowned slightly at the observations from the driver regarding the separatists' movements. She had a nagging feeling that the day wasn't going to go well but she kept her mouth shut and gripped her seat tightly.

The man from Havoc Squad noticed and cracked a small smile. "Another beautiful day on Ord Mantell! You excited kid? nervous maybe? You know, you're the first new entry to Havoc Squad in some time now."

His comment managed to pique her interest and she looked to him. "What made Havoc decide to bring me in?"

He scratched his chin thoughtfully before responding. "There's just too much happening here. The guys in charge decided that we needed a extra pair of hands." He held out his hand to her in a friendly gesture. "I'm Lieutenant Bex Kolos, but everyone in Havoc calls me Gearbox. We're a tight unit. I reckon you'll like it with us."

Kassela remained quiet after shaking his hand, prompting Gearbox to continue. "Let me tell you why we're here: the separatists have nabbed a Republic bomb off a downed transport. A serious bomb, one of those orbital strike numbers."

She frowned slightly and turned to Gearbox once more as he spoke. "They have just too many hideouts where the thing might be and it could be in any one of them."

"What're the weapon's specs?" she asked

Gearbox opened his mouth to answer when a strong blast hit the side of the walker and sent them all scrambling to the floor. The alarm within blared as the driver shouted their status before cutting out as they were hit by a second blast.

"Driver? Driver!! Blast it, he's down" Gearbox shouted, hitting the intercom forcefully in anger. "They aren't supposed to have armor-piercing missiles! They'll tear up every convoy that attempts to pass through here!"

"Sit, major hardware in the enemy's hands...seems like the kind of thing we should've been warned about." Kassela stated while helping the others to their feet.

The Havoc Squad member sighed in annoyance. "Let's just get out of this alive and worry about filing the complaints later, alright?" He moved over to the door and set about opening it. "Fixing things is my specialty kid, I'm nowhere near the fighter you are. I'll stay and get this walker moving again while you disable the separatists' missile launchers. Understood?"

With a hiss the door opened and he turned back to her. "Find their cache, disable the missile launchers then double-time it back here. Got it Sergeant?"

"I'm on it." she answered and hopped out, running down the hill toward the town. Kassela found the cache easily enough and quickly took out the guards using her explosive rounds. Her holocom beeped with a incoming call as she was wrapping up destroying the last of the launchers.

"Hah! nice work kid! you've got a talent there's no denying that." Gearbox cheered. Kassela restrained the urge to wince at the praise as he carried on. "I however didn't have much luck." He jerked his thumb behind him as he grumbled. "This walker isn't gonna be moving any time soon. The brass is gonna be real happy about this one, takes months to requisition a new one."

"Don't beat yourself up sir. It it was possible you'd have fixed it" she reassured him, prompting the soldier to give her a small grin.

"Thanks kid" He sobered quickly. "Shame about the driver though. Poor guy never stood a chance." Gearbox was quiet for a moment as he debated on the next course of action. "I'm gonna stay here and salvage all I can before someone else does. You'd better keep moving and head for Fort Garnik. Be sure to keep a look out for seps on your way though, they can come out at you out of nowhere."

She nodded. "I'll keep a lookout, see you later sit." she said and closed down the link.

* * *

 

"Yes so if we focus our efforts on M-sector, I'm certain that..." One of the men in Havoc Squad armor looked up at her entry into the room. "Ah! Sergeant! Welcome, welcome!" He waved her over to approach him. "Good to see you here, I'm Commander Harron Tavus. Havoc Squad's commanding officer. We're al excited to have some new blood in the unit." He enthused with a smile.

Quickly he introduced her to the other members of the unit: Waith, the quiet and soft spoken Mirialan. Though she had a rather hard and cold gaze. Needles, the cyborg she assumed, though something about him made her deeply uncomfortable and it wasn't just because of the implants. And Fuse the Zabrak who seemed shy and nervous but overall a good guy.

"-...you met Gearbox on your way over here so that about makes everyone" Tavus completed, interjecting on her thoughts. He turned back to his crew and gestured to her. "Everyone, this is the new sergeant I told you about. Kassela Ithesda. Ranked first in the Academy in Forward Assault, Search and Destroy and Advance Recon. It's good to have you with us, Sergeant."

Kassela stood at attention and nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you." she said politely.

Tavus moved so he faced all of them. "Now then, the reason we're all here. A Republic transport, carrying among it's cargo a ZR-57 orbital strike bomb, crashed in northern Avilatan six days ago. The recovery unit sent a team but they were too late. The separatist forces had already stolen the cargo, including the bomb and fled the scene."

"For them to grab that pretty much instantly, someone on our side must have tipped them off." Kassela said.

The commander nodded. "Yes we've considered that but the fact is we don't have time for a mole hunt. Recovering that bomb is priority one."

"The ZR-57 is...well... it's serious hardware you know?" Fuse spoke up. "I mean, it can pretty much vaporize this whole island. So we'd better get it back or...well...boom." He gestured a explosion with his hands which made her frown.

Tavus cleared his throat to bring their attention back to him. "We're investigating several leads to it's location, but the one I'd like you to look into sergeant, comes from a Republic spy named Bellis. He reported making a important discovery but he's in too deep for us to extract him out of there. Instead I need you to rendezvous with him in a nearby village called Talloran. Bellis will meet you in a small alley in the village. Find out what he's discovered then return to base immediately. Understood?'

"Yes sir, I'll talk to the guy."

In her peripheral vision she noticed a tall figure in orange and black approach them as Tavus spoke. "I have one last introduction to to make: this is Lieutenant Aric Jorgan, a operations officer from the Republic's Ord Mantell Infantry Command."

Kassela was surprised to see a cathar in the Republic military but her kept her face carefully blank as Tavus continued. "Since we're on individual missions to search for this bomb, Lieutenant Jorgan is coordinating our efforts from here within the mission room."

Jorgan's eyes narrowed on her as he pointed in her direction. "All right, Sergeant. I'll be overseeing your op through the camera mounted on your armor. So I see what you see. It's activated as soon as you leave the fort." He moved closer in a intimidating stance as he continued. "I'll make this completely clear, rookie. When you're out in the field what I say goes. Period."

There was a moment's silence as he stared her straight in the eyes while waiting on her reaction. Kassela was fairly used to it from the Academy and returned his gaze squarely with her own. "Understood sir."

Seeming satisfied with her response he moved back. "Just make your way to Talloran, meet with Bellis and find out what he knows without screwing anything up."

Kassela saluted as Tavus bid her good luck and she headed out while everyone else returned to work.


	2. Greetings from Ord Mantell Part 2

Her first day as a member of Havoc Squad was not off to a good start. Firstly her contact was unfortunately killed before she could reach the destination. After a chewing out from Lieutenant Jorgan, Bellis' wife Lin didn't handle the news of her husband's demise well and took it out on Kassela personally. As a result, she now had the field box but was now sporting a large red mark on her cheek as well. For the life of her, she couldn't fault the woman. A long time ago she'd seen her father having to give similar messages out to members who had lost loved ones in the various wars and battles. The reactions he received varied but the grief was always the same.

She winced slightly and rubbed her cheek as she walked back into base holding the field box in her spare hand. Fuse smiled and waved slightly. "Oh, Sergeant. Hey you're back! Good job out there in Taloran, really nice work."

Kassela lowered her hand as Jorgan stepped around his terminal and held out his hand for the box. Both his and Fuse's eyes zeroed in on the red mark on her cheek but she quickly waved them off with her hand as she passed over the field box. 

"I'll take the field box you retrieved, Sergeant. And maybe next time you could bring me a live Republic agent instead." Jorgan growled but looked over to Fuse. "Lieutenant Bazzren here still thinks you're mission worthy so he has a task for you. He'll brief you  while I start decoding Bellis' intel." With that he walked around to his terminal once more just above them and got to work.

Fuse gave her a reassuring smile. "Uh, yes! we found a urgent lead while you were in Talloran, Sergeant. The perfect op for our new assault specialist."

She raised a eyebrow in confusion. "What kind of lead"

"Well...because its not so much of a lead as it is a bomb threat..."

Kassela folded her hands in front of her as Fuse filled her in on the story of Mirru. "I take it the guy's intel was less than reliable or else he'd still be here then."

Jorgan leaned around the corner of his screen. "Bums come in here trying to trade their 'intel' for credits. It's usually bogus ninety percent of the time so the grunts outside usually chase them off."

"Okay so what makes this threat more genuine than the others?"

"It doesn't. I mean. I guess Mirru could be lying." Fuse answered. "But with the ZR-57 out there, we just can't afford to take that risk."

"I understand sir. I'll take care of it immediately." She saluted and jogged out.

Mirru was less than happy to see her but with some bribery out of her own pocket he conveniently loosened his lips enough to give her the intel she needed. It turned out that he was correct about there being a bombing planned. The downside is that it wasn't the right one. Over the following days while waiting for a new lead Kassela found herself helping the locals where she could, even finding a few disgusting situations ranging from prisoner abuse to a mayor using drugs for bribery. Eventually a lead popped up for Mannett Point but that yielded no further information beyond the bomb had been moved to another location. Wraith however did unnerve her slightly by how she shot a man with barely a word, regardless of that she remained silent throughout the proceedings.

Kassela returned to find Needles and Jorgan in a bit of a lengthy discussion as she approached and saluted them.

"Fabulous work out there, Sergeant. The beast has been beheaded." Needles enthused

"I'll get the officer's data out to the rest of Havoc right away. As for you, Lieutenant Dorant here has a special op already planned out." Jorgan said, taking the data she'd hacked from a sep terminal in Mannett Point from her.

"Earlier today a man named Zak came to the fort from Oradam village seeking medical attention. Zak was suffering from acute radiation poisoning, causing catastrophic organ failure. His body was practically tearing itself apart from within...quite a magnificent sight to observe."

Kassela turned pale at just how Needles seemed to  _enjoy_ seeing another man's suffering in such a horrific way. She looked over and noticed a muscle twitching in Jorgan's face slightly as he listened to Needles and felt somewhat better that she wasn't the only one who was disgusted. She held up her hand to stop him from giving any further details of organ failure. "Just...spare me the medical details and tell me where I need to go."

"As you wish, Sergeant. Simply enough I need you to fetch certain medical supplies from the scavengers. Lieutenant Jorgan here will give you the list. Once done they can be mixed into a antidote for Zak's poisoning. I'm sure he'll find the idea of a painless cure most appealing." he added thoughtfully. "The potential for a full recovery should be a excellent motivator in getting him to speak."

She took the datapad with the list and the instructions on how to put everything together from Jorgan and walked out. Keen to be away from the area as quickly as possible.

Zak wasn't quite the man she was expecting to meet, much less one with a Twi'lek wife with him. Both had been affiliated with the separatists though only one was aware of what the package that they'd been ordered to deliver had contained, which she had to admit she was rather perplexed by.

"Just tell me everything that you know and it'll all be okay." She said soothingly. When Zak looked confused she elaborated. "You've both been poisoned by radiation from a stolen Republic bomb."

His eyes widened as he looked to his wife. "Jaller? Do you know anything about this?! They're the reason we're both sick isn't it? You're dying because of them!"

Jaller groaned loudly in pain as she shifted to look at him. "Zak, don't. The movement-"

"Screw the movement! they sold us out!" He shouted while gesticulating wildly. "They don't care about us! They just care about their weapons and secrets!"

Kassela shifted in the background slightly as they argued, she had sympathy for what they were going through. She made a decision and handed out a pair of injectors. "Enough you two, look I'm not about to stand by and watch you both suffer and argue the point. Even if you are with the enemy." She added, giving a extra hard stare at Jaller. "This medicine will cure your poisoning. Both of you."

Zak took them and just stared at the medicine in his hand incredulously before taking his wife's arm and injecting her before doing the same to himself. "Shhh it'll be okay Jaller." The Twi'lek remained silent as the pain slowly started to fade before rolling over to face away from them, her shoulders shaking with restrained sobs.

"Zak I need to know where that bomb is so no one else has to suffer."

"Oh...right...the crate. we got ordered to move this really large crate to the stronghold. The seps main base. The bomb must've been inside that since we got sick straight after."

"Thank you" Kassela said and nodded. Leaving the room quickly to make her way back to base.

* * *

Having Wraith pointing a blaster straight at her back wasn't how she intended to go out as Kassela glared at Tavus in front of her. "No Wraith" he said gently and her gaze changed from the man before her to Wraith as she walked around her side and back behind her CO. "The sergeant must know the truth." Tavus sighed. "I'd hoped it wouldn't have come to this. I harbor no ill will toward you, in fact you're everything a warrior should be. But I'm afraid the Republic no longer calues her warriors. Even the very best among them."

She sputtered, stuck somewhere between complete fury and shock. "You've fought the Empire for years! Do you honestly think it's better over there?!"

"The Empire respects warriors, Sergeant. The Republic's top officials on the other hand, they've decided to cast us aside. The truth is no matter what they may say, the Republic Senate doesn't honestly believe it can win another war against the Empire." He pointed in her direction. "That makes you and I a threat. Every Havoc Squad victory fires up the people's imaginations, fills them with pride. Which means the bureaucrats can't afford to let us keep succeeding."

"Do you even hear yourself?! And you think defecting to the Empire is honestly going to make things better?!!!" She yelled.

Tavus gave her a look of such pity that she felt sick to her stomach. "If only you'd joined us sooner. Maybe you might have even understood. Maybe you might even have come with us. The Republic you so adore, abandoned us on Ando Prime and left us to die. But hey, for what it's worth, I hope you die with all your ideals still intact."

"Oh I already know it's scum in the political world. I just refuse to take the coward's way out." She snarled at him savagely while he just shrugged in response.

"Thanks for finding the ZR-57 for us. Didn't want to miss giving our big present to the Empire." Fuse added.

Kassela kept silent and glared at them. Keeping the fact that she disarmed the thing earlier to herself.  _Let them explain why they have a dud. I don't care._ she thought as the bomb was loaded onto their ship. A noise suddenly caught her attention and she dived behind a stack of crates, narrowly missing a barrage of blaster fire. She looked up just in time to see Tavus' shuttle door close and make it's fast escape.

Quickly she pulled out her rifle and loaded a explosive round, firing it at one of the Imperials who had decided to join her. Another round of blaster fire followed when her comlink went off. "Son of a..". She tapped her ear to activate it before returning fire.

"Report sergeant! what's your status?" Jorgan shouted into the line, distracting her to the point that she got a hit on her right arm and it caused her to howl in pain.

"Damn it Jorgan" she spat through gritted teeth "This clearly isn't the best time." She peered through a gap between the crates and fired, taking out one of the Imperials with ha head shot.

"Is it true?"

"What?!" she yelled, ducking under cover again before the next round.

"Did Havoc Squad just walk off with the ZR-57?" He hissed angrily in her ear.

Kassela growled and loaded her gun with plasma ammunition for extra kick before taking down the second Imperial. The final one ducked behind cover which forced her to move from her position. Leaping over the side of the platform she rolled and took out the final imp with a combination of blaster fire and a explosive round. Finally able to rest she then moved outside through the open door before responding. "Yes, Lieutenant. Yes they defected to the Empire and took the bomb with them."

The word that came out on the other end of the line wasn't one she understood, but she could tell by the sound just how furious he was. "Get back here on the double" He ordered before the line went dead.

She winced and checked on her arm, it was a bad wound and she was fresh out of medpacks due to earlier skirmishes within the base. Quickly she summoned a fast transport shuttle to get her out of there and held her hand pressed over the wound to keep bleeding to a minimum.

The shuttle dropped her off quickly back at base and she immediately went to medbay to get patched up.  In the opposite room she could a little too clearly hear Jorgan's voice as he shouted at someone but a sharp squeeze to the wound on her arm snapped her attention back to the medic as he clicked his tongue. "Sorry, Sergeant. It looks like this is gonna scar more than anything."

"That's nothing new." She grumbled before sighing. "Am I good enough to head in?"

"One moment...." The medic responded before sterilizing the wound and patching it up as quickly as possible. "Keep it dry and you should be fine. Just don't strain yourself."

"Thanks" she said while pulling the sleeve back in place and getting up to find the source of the noise and report in.

"General with all due respect. How could you do this?! I've served under your command for years!" Jorgan growled

The general watched him tiredly. "Enough Jorgan. A defection of this scale...someone needs to swing and the powers that be say it's you. It wasn't my choice Jorgan. You know that."

Jorgan shut up and grit his teeth, snapping a glare at Kassela. "I see word of the defection travels fast" she said grimly.

"Your squad full of traitors just destroyed my career, Sergeant. Command can't punish them so they're burning me instead." He snapped. She just raised a tired eyebrow at him and looked to the general.

"So you must be our last loyal Havoc member. I'm General Vander, Chief of Operations here on Ord Mantell. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. On behalf of the Republic and the people here, I'd like to commend you on your actions in disabling the stolen ZR-57. You helped save countless innocent lives and as a result of that I hereby promote you to the rank of Lieutenant."

Kassela blinked. "I...thank you?"

"Congratulations, sir" Jorgan added sarcastically to which she just ignored him.

"Now then...as the last remaining member of Havoc, the task of rebuilding the squad falls to you." Vander said as he gestured to Jorgan. "To get the process started, I've decided to assign Sergeant Jorgan here to assist you as Havoc's first new member."

"Huh...well...we're going to have a lot of fun then, Sergeant Jorgan" She said equally sarcastically. Smirking when Jorgan just grumbled.

"I'll take the Havoc patch and sergeant stripes if it means I get to grind them into Tavus' face before we kill him"

Vander just watched him sadly. "This is the best I can do for you. You're a good man and we need good people now more than ever." Jorgan grew calmer at that and seemed to lose a fair portion of his anger, judging by how the scowl on his face lessened somewhat. "We don't know what Tavus is planning but he knows the inner workings of our military better than anyone. The destruction he could cause is limitless."

"I won't allow Tavus to harm the Repbulic sir" she vowed

"In any case" he continued "Your work here is done. There's a shuttle at the port which will take you both to the Republic Fleet. From there you travel to Coruscant. Once there you'll be reporting to General Garza. She'll be the one issuing your orders from now on."

"Understood sir" she saluted.

"You're dismissed lieutenant. I hope I see you again some fay." He looked at Jorgan for a moment. "Both of you."

They quickly left and climbed aboard the shuttle. Jorgan remained silent throughout the journey to the Republic Fleet, Kassela too for that matter.

 


	3. Breaking the Ice

Jorgan pulled up a datapad as he changed in a suite of rooms that was loaned for Havoc Squad's temporary use aboard the fleet. The shuttle to Coruscant was having engine trouble and they were told that it'd take a while to fix. His new CO was off investigating somewhere on the station about some kind of training that was being offered which gave him the perfect opportunity for a little investigating of his own.

Once in his issued Havoc armor he then looked at the acquired information on the datapad. Kassela Ithesda, the record began. Age 29, date of birth 28/07/3672. In the picture that was taken six years ago she had had her deep red hair much longer and done up in a regulation bun, compared to the shoulder length cut she had now. A pair of grey eyes watched him solemnly as he continued reading through her reports. No incidents, no disciplinary action taken, top grades in all base requirements for a solder and in her specialization in the Academy. His gaze flicked back to her picture, she looked familiar but he couldn't figure out why. Otherwise her record was clean, a little too clean.

He tried to dig a little deeper into her record prior to the Academy but found nothing. No further records existed. It was as though she'd simply appeared from no where. He frowned and set the datapad back down as he thought and then slowly started to grow suspicious.  _She's hiding something. The Imps already have Tavus, would they really plant a mole into the same position?_ he thought as he tried to come up with a more rational explanation.

His head jerked up when he heard the door to the main seating area open and close before a second door opened which lead to the lieutenant's room. The door closed and there was no further movement until he picked up the sound of the sonic shower running. Quickly he erased the data from the datapad and went to go sit on the couch outside his room until Kassela entered again, dressed in Havoc Squad armor, as she was pulling her hair free from a small ponytail.

"The mechanics say it'll be at most another hour, something in the main engine is leaking fluid so they're having to replace parts."

Jorgan grumbled a acknowledgement while she stood there awkwardly. Kassela almost jumped when suddenly he started talking. "So...Havoc Squad, the best of the best. Can't say I'm thrilled about the demotion but it's a honor to be here, sir."

She shook her head slightly as she leaned against a nearby counter. "How're you holding up?"

"After watching Tavus flush my career down the 'fresher? What do you think?" He stood up and pointed at her. "Four years at the academy, seven years out in the field. Decorations, commendations...would've even made captain soon if Command hadn't hung me out to dry"

"We both know Tavus' defection wasn't your fault" she responded calmly

He scoffed. "Tell that to the brass whenever they need a scapegoat. But, hey, water under the bridge. Command put me in Havoc to help you find Tavus and I intend to do just that. I've hunted Imperials from one side of the galaxy to the next. Used to command the Deadeyes, finest sniper squad in the Republic."

She looked confused for a moment before understanding dawned on her. "Well then, I look forward to seeing what you can do Jorgan."

"Likewise" he responded. "Out of curiosity, why were you looking at training?"

"One of the captains suggested that I specialize in a field of combat and had a choice between being a full commando or a vanguard. Chose the latter on the account of I'm still wounded and that I'm fairly used to being up close and personal with the enemy"

Jorgan frowned in confusion. "Wounded? When did you...?"

Kassela narrowed her eyes at him. "When you distracted me on Ord Mantell demanding defection confirmation."

"....ah"

She raised a eyebrow at him but said nothing while he just sat there feeling somewhat bad for not noticing sooner. "Look, the medic said I'll be fine in a few days provided I don't overdo anything. But I need to ask something, what significance is Ando Prime to Tavus and the others?"

He looked at her and frowned. "Ando Prime? I can't tell you much, a lot of the matter was made classified by the Republic Senate and I was with the Deadeyes at that point. What little was told was Tavus went off on his own with the remainder of Havoc to Ando Prime and caused a incident. At least, that was what I heard."

The lieutenant shook her head again. "He said the Republic abandoned them and left them all to die." She responded before straightening. "Still doesn't excuse his actions regardless."

Nodding his approval he opened his mouth to question her on her record but quickly shut it when her link sounded. She turned away from him while she listened to the call and responded before closing the line. "It looks like the fleet's managed to borrow another shuttle. Shall we?"

Jorgan headed out with Kassela close in tow, he slowed down to let her lead as they made their way together to the shuttle that would take them to Coruscant.


	4. Droids and Poison

Kass leaned around the corner of the doorway, taking in sight of the quarry that they'd been sent to stop by Garza. She caught Jorgan's gaze and put a finger over her lips to indicate silence and pulled out her rifle,  watching her companion follow her lead before they approached the man named Krell.

"In the name of the Galactic Republic, I order you to surrender." She commanded while holding Krell at gun point.

Krell turned around and simply laughed in her face. "Surrender? To you? Hah! I could crush your tiny skull with my bare hand. You're too late, my plans are already in motion and soon the people of this world shall be brought to their knees by my creations. My masterpieces!"

She managed to hold back rolling her eyes at the stereotypical evil guy speech only worthy of the holovids. "These are pretty much your last words, don't waste them on threats."

"Threats? This is no idle threat. Those droids you destroyed were simply my playthings compared to what I've created. I have taken several citizens from the streets and implanted them with cybernetic implants. Their abilities rival even my own. The cyborgs' enhancements are internal and undetectable. They don't know who's augment will activate and neither will anyone else! Until it's too late that is"

Kass' eye twitched slightly. "You're gonna pay for what you did to those people, Krell." she spat in disgust.

"Fool. Once I'm done killing you, I'll release those people back into the population until my hidden programming activates."

"This guy's full of it." Jorgan hissed "I don't buy any of it"

She zoned out of the remainder of Krell's ranting, at least until he activated the droids to back him up. "Jorgan! Droids first!" She shouted as she opened fire on the one closest to her, weakening it's casing enough so she could perform a shockstrike into it's core and put it out of commission for good. Looking over to see how well Jorgan was handling his own, she nodded in silent approval as he finished it off with a well placed strike.

A sudden burst of light from a blaster caught her attention and she dodged back out of Krell's line of fire. Jorgan activated a piece of tech and surged toward Krell, catching him off guard by the force while Kass snuck around behind him and performed a shockstrike to his spine.

She had to give him credit, after two people's attacks he was still standing and pissed off to boot. Changing tactic, she aimed for his knees while Jorgan kept Krell's focus on him. A few shots later and he fell with Jorgan finishing him off for good with a headshot a moment later.

Kass wiped the sweat from her brow as her holocom sounded and she pulled it out. "Come in lieutenant." Came Garza's voice. "I want you to destroy those cyborgs Krell created immediately. We need to deal with them now before they can disappear back into the normal population. These situations are never easy and these people did not choose to be what they now are. But many lives are at stake. You have to eliminate Krell's creations." She ordered.

Feeling conflicted by the order, Kass paused for a moment. "We can't know for sure that Krell was telling the truth, General."

Garza scowled slightly. "Whether Krell was bluffing or not, these cyborgs are a risk that we can not allow." she said sternly. "I'm giving the kill order lieutenant. I take full responsibility for the consequences. Now get it done!"

The line was suddenly cut and Kass slowly holstered her holocom once more. "Damn it...I can't. I just can't" She mumbled as she squeezed her hands into fists.

"We should be chasing after the traitors. Not running around, gunning people down because some nut ball said that were dangerous." Jorgan said after he noticed her indecision.

Kass shook her head for a moment. "Think you can forgive your commanding officer for performing a little insubordination?"

"What insubordination?" he responded, smirking in amusement which made her chuckle weakly as she walked over to the sealed door.

A muffled but scared voice came from the other side. "Stay back! This door is locked and sealed so you can't get in! We heard you talking to that freak Krell and we heard the fighting. We're not coming out until you swear you won't hurt us!"

"Just open the door and we can talk about this."

Another voice, followed by a third sounded as they argued over who was the real cyborg while Kass waited outside, folding her arms as she waited on them to calm down, or at least finish arguing it out.

"Stop it all of you! We are not cyborgs!" The first voice shouted, managing to get the others to be silent. 

Kass sighed as she tried to quickly think up a fast solution. "Look, there's just no way to be sure of that, ma'am. What I can do however is suggest you give me your names and identification numbers. If something does happen then the Coruscant authorities can handle it."

"What?! So you can hunt us down later like animals?" Yelled the second voice through the door.

"She rubbed the bridge of her nose as she grew more annoyed. "Think realistically here. I am just one soldier. Not a medic. I can't tell the difference between what's a normal implant and what isn't. Personally? I tend not to trust information from crackpots on a power trip. Look, either he did or he didn't but in order for you to go home you're going to have to trust me. Please...don't make me obey the kill order."

There was a long silence before she heard some beeping and the door opened with the three people within stepping out. The owner of the second voice mumbled a "thank you" as he gave her a datapad and stood back. She looked at it to find the details she requested along with all their addresses. Blinking, she nodded her thanks.

The woman who was the owner of the first voice nodded as well. "Thank you soldier. Thank you for sparing us." She said before she looked behind her and the three of them took off running from the area. Eager to be away from the place.

It didn't take long for her holocom to go off once more and Kass pulled it out to find a angry general on the other end of the line. "Lieutenant, didn't I make it perfectly clear? I ordered you to destroy Krell's cyborgs"

Stiffening slightly, Kass gripped the holocom tighter. "I couldn't general...I just couldn't do it." She responded quietly.

"You had your weapon, you had them trapped and you had my orders. That should be all you need. Lieutenant when you are on a mission you obey my orders first, then your head, then your heart. In that order and that alone." She said coldly.

"If I do that then what separates us from the Empire if we're gunning down our own people?!"

Garza folded her arms. "There's no room for sentiment in our line of work. We're heartless so the people of the Republic don't have to be. So the Republic doesn't become the Empire. Always remember that. Now then... this matter aside I need you to travel to Black Sun territory. According to the network they are supplying a powerful nerve agent to Tavus in bulk. A Specforce sergeant named Jaxo has done some reconnaissance of the area and has found where the canisters are being located. You will rendezvous with her for a plan of attack."

"Yes, sir" Kass managed and clenched her jaw tightly.

"Good. Garza out."

Returning her holocom back into it's holster she quickly strode her way out from the area. Jorgan remained silent for a time while she arranged for transport and hopped in the driver's seat of the car. He joined her and held on as she smoothly took off and joined the traffic lanes.

"For what it's worth, I think you did the right thing sir." He said after a long while.

Kass threw on the break a little too hard and Jorgan braced himself on the dashboard just in case. A loud horn from behind her snapped her back into focus and she returned to travelling at speed. "I'm...glad you think so."

Jorgan looked at her briefly, she was still gripping the steering wheel hard but she was beginning to lose the tension from earlier slowly. "I understand that there's some orders that have to be disobeyed for the good of everyone" he said. "So long as you don't lose sight of who you're working for or what you represent. But as time goes on people's expectation of us, of you is only going to get bigger. That CO post can get real heavy, real quick"

She didn't respond for quite a while, to the point that he was beginning to think she was ignoring him until she flicked on a indicator and moved from the lane into a quiet area of space so she wouldn't disrupt traffic. "Is that advice or a warning sergeant?"

"A bit of both, sir."

Kass sighed and licked at her lip as she thought for a moment before speaking. "I'm used to having to strain to reach expectations, Jorgan. Someone has to lead Havoc Squad."

"Commanding a squad is no cakewalk. There's nothing worse between having to choose between the success of your mission and the lives of your men, orrr like today when you had to choose to spare or kill those people. That said,  a leader can't afford to be soft on their troops. Coddling your men will either get them killed or innocent people killed."

He watched as she slumped in her seat and let go of the wheel. "You have a point, Jorgan. I'll keep it in mind."

"Though, I think you're doing fine so far."

Kass blinked as though stunned by the praise and watched him warily. "But?"

"Huh?" he responded in confusion.

"There's always a "but" involved. so what is it?"

"There's no "but". It's a compliment. I think, given time and some more work you'll shape up to be a fine CO"

Kass looked floored which surprised him and it did leave him to wonder what kind of place she grew up in that she didn't recognize a compliment or at the very least thought it was a trick.

She noticed the look on his face and decided to elaborate a little. "I don't get compliments very often. It's more often that I get told that I didn't do something right or that I could have done better rather than a simple "well done". It's gotten so rare that I guess I forgot how to take them"

Jorgan blinked. "I know the Academy is rough but really?"

Realizing she was stepping into dangerous territory, Kass returned her hands to the wheel and indicated to rejoin the lane. "I don't like to explain about my personal circumstances, sergeant. Lets just return to the mission at hand."

His face went blank. "As you wish, sir". He responded simply but before he turned his gaze to the traffic in front he could almost swear he saw a deeply sad expression on her face.

* * *

"So...you're the new lieutenant I've heard so much about. Great to meet you."

"I take it you're Jaxo then"

Jaxo smiled in amusement. "Nice hair by the way. Must have the same stylist." she poked at her hair that was oddly done in the same style as the lieutenant's.

Kass found herself relaxing and smirked slightly. "Not to cut the pleasantries short but the toxin?"

"So, straight to business then? Alright. The canisters you're going after contain a volatile nerve toxin. It spreads in a ten kilometer radius if it happens to escape. Oh and it can also be absorbed through the skin so you aren't safe. Even if you wear a mask." Jaxo reached under her desk and handed Kass a few small canisters. "This will neutralize the toxin completely. After this is injected the stuff is completely useless so you're good to leave what's left behind."

"Oh joy" Kass said sarcastically "Can't say I'm thrilled on being near this stuff."

The woman grinned slightly. "I'll forward the location to you, oh keep your eyes open for a red case. We caught it going in under heavy guard, so whatever's inside can't be good"

"Any further advice?"

"Yeah, don't die"

Kass snorted and waved as she walked back out. Jorgan followed with a raised eyebrow but otherwise said nothing as he followed his CO to their destination. The place was oddly quiet aside from a few neutral parties who watched their movements with limited interest.

She snuck around a corner while keeping a eye out for any unusual activity. A large crate standing in a corner on it's own caught her eye. Kass turned slightly, catching Jorgan's attention and made a couple of hand gestures for him to watch her back. He nodded and shifted to more of a combat stance while holding his rifle as he followed her into the room. Carefully she opened the crate and lifted the case inside out, attaching it to her belt so she didn't lose it.

"Sir!" Jorgan shouted as several people poured into the room with a loud battle cry. Kass swung round and pulled out her rifle while throwing a sticky bomb at one of them. The pair of troopers ducked behind the same terminal before the explosion and fired from opposing sides into the chaos.

Jorgan worked well with her, catching a gang member that worked past the chaos and was getting a little too close for comfort to her with a headshot. She fired a incendiary round and caught the remainder of the group alight while Jorgan took out a second. Rolling under the blaster fire, Kass fired a explosive round and sent one flying. While she was busy, out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a red figure sailing through the air and finishing off the last gang member with a savage smack with his rifle.

She was wide eyed as Jorgan straightened and he gave her a curious expression at her staring. "Woah..." 

He stared in silent amusement as it clicked what she was doing and cleared her throat in embarrassment. "Ahem. Thanks for taking out that guy for me."

"Shall we?" he gestured toward the door as Kass nodded and exited quickly. The remainder of the mission passed with little incident as someone had apparently raided the place recently judging by the bodies lying around the place. Curiously she took a closer look and found they had a combination of blaster fire wounded and ones coming from something like a shotgun. Frowning slightly she shook her head and got to work on the gas canisters. It didn't take long for them to be neutralized and for her to head back to Jaxo.

"Got a present for you, one custom blaster donation courtesy of the Black Sun."

Jaxo grinned and held out her hand for the case. "Nice!" she said as she opened the case and turned the weapon over in her hands. "Huh, I've never seen this kind of design before. I'll get our guys to have a look at it and maybe they'll be able to find something out. Oh, while I remember, Garza said she wanted to see you straight away."

Kass frowned. "Any ideas what she wanted?"

"No. It's a bit above my pay grade to get involved too much with Havoc Squad missions. All I was told to say was that it was important."

"Maybe we'll work in the future again?"

The dark haired woman smiled. "I'll look forward to it. See you later lieutenant. Who knows, maybe I'll see you at the cantina some time."

She smiled slightly. "See what happens Jaxo. Contact you later."

"You got it!" Jaxo cheekily saluted.

 


	5. The Problem with Politics

The night was drawing on and Kass was beginning to feel that heavy weight behind her eyes that signaled that sleep was threatening to overtake her. In the car seat beside her Jorgan appeared to be quite the night person, either that or he had somehow gained the ability to sleep with his eyes open and the wind entering them. The Senate Tower drew into view and she carefully landed the car. Jorgan hopped out immediately, proving the night person theory correct, and stretched his limbs while she crawled out less than gracefully and yawned hard.

He waited on her to stretch and shake her head to rouse herself into some form of life before they walked together into the Tower and in turn Garza's office. The general seemed wide awake but the presence of a steaming cup of caf on her desk proved otherwise. "Ah lieutenant, I apologize to call you in this late hour but a situation has developed with the Senate."

Kass raised a tired eyebrow. "Need em to off a senator or something?"

Garza's eyes widened. "No! Absolutely not! Tempting as that may be right now. Despite my best efforts three of the Senate Defense Committee have learned of Havoc Squad's defection and they want to know the specifics. It's a informal inquiry for now but I can guarantee they'll open it up." She sighed deeply. "I hate politics."

Jorgan noticed the tiredness immediately drain from Kass's face as she turned serious. "We don't have time for this, sir"

"I'm aware of that Lieutenant, but we don't have any choice in the matter. The Senators have asked that you immediately head into the tower for the inquiry to testify. I am also barred from influencing your testimony but I will remind you that the more information becomes public, the harder our job becomes."

Kass sighed "Understood general"

Garza rubbed her forehead tiredly. "I managed to get the inquiry put off until the morning however. Go rest and we will deal with this tomorrow. There are rooms in the nearby barracks here for your use that I arranged while you stay here but do please try to get the inquiry over with quickly."

"Yes general." Kass saluted as Garza dismissed them. Suddenly she wasn't feeling as tired anymore as they walked to the barracks. Aric immediately went to his room while she managed a restless doze in hers until the early hours of the morning before slipping out and hiring a car to a unknown location.

* * *

Jorgan woke up and yawned hard. After visiting the refresher and dressing he knocked on Kass's door, waiting outside until a private hurried over to him and saluted. "Sir! the Lieutenant ordered me to tell you that she went ahead to the inquiry alone"

"What?!" he shouted before realizing where he was and quickly quietening down. "That damned idiot..." noticing the soldier waiting still, he dismissed him and stalked his way to the Senate Tower to go find his foolish CO.

Pounding up the stairs and following the halls, he managed to find the room containing the inquiry, seeing that it was already underway he settled for looking around the corner into the room. Apparently he wasn't all that far behind as Kass was silently seated before the three Senate members as they were making the beginning formalities.  Jorgan decided to hover outside and listen in, seeing what she said as it was far too late for him to barge in and tell her off for leaving him behind.

"Now then-" came a voice from within. "- I want to thank you for coming this early to today's meeting. I can assure you that I will not hold you from your duties any longer than necessary, Lieutenant."

"The purpose of today's meeting is to investigate the defection of several members of Republic Army Special Forces, squad number three two six, code named 'Havoc Squad', to the Sith Empitre" came a second voice.

"Now recently, you served in Havoc Squad on Ord Mantell, is that correct lieutenant?"  asked the first voice.

"Yes, that's true Senator." He heard Kass respond. Her voice was oddly more formal than what he had heard in the past and frowned slightly.

"And is it true that all members of Havoc Squad, excluding yourself, defected to the Sith Empire while you served on Ord Mantell?"

There was a moment's pause before she responded. "I am unaware of any defection, Senator as I was ordered to remain back at base at Fort Garnik. I do not understand the point you are trying to make here."

Meanwhile outside Jorgan blinked as she told a near outright lie to the Senators and remained standing there in silence.

"Lieutenant, you are a soldier of the Republic and are sworn to obey the demands of the Senate!" shouted a third voice which belonged to a Senator he recognized as named Krasul. He also noticed Kass appeared dressed in full formal military uniform as opposed to their Havoc issue armor and wondered where and when she got a hold of that.

"Please, we are only trying to discover the truth. If Havoc Squad has indeed defected to the Sith Empire then we need to take the proper precautions." Said the second voice.

"Now did Tavus or any of his men display any anger? fear? frustration? hostility?" Came the first voice calmly.

"No Senator" Kass answered truthfully. "I never spent long enough with any of them to pick up on any kind of feelings from them."

"Lieutenant! you are lying to the Senate of the Galactic Republic!" Krasul growled in warning.

"No I'm not. On top of obtaining any information I could on the ZR-57 for Havoc Squad, I was also spending time helping the people of Ord Mantell where I could if they were on the way to a mission. I personally had little contact with any members aside from being summoned back to base to receive mission objectives, which were fairly unending I might add." She said calmly.

The second Senator quickly gestured for calm. "Please, no one wants to turn this into a full investigation. If you just answer truthfully we can avoid all that. Unless you prefer we take in Sergeant Aric Jorgan as well."

Jorgan watched as Kass raised herself from her seat and leaned across the table to the senators. "I will state this right here and now. Aric Jorgan has absolutely no involvement with any kind of defection that the former Havoc Squad may or may not have done, other than simply being present when all communications to and from Havoc Squad were lost. As a result, neither of us could foresee the events that unfolded. Beyond simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time we have no direct involvement and whatever Tavus has done, he ensured that we were kept as removed from whatever he was planning as possible. Now with that I'm done."

"We're not finished here!" Krasul shouted

"No." She said, her voice dangerously quiet. "We. Are. Done." With that, Kass spun around and moved to exit but didn't quite make it through the hallway before a figure grabbed her shoulder.  Jorgan hid around the corner as he continued listening in. 

"Did you just lie to the Senate, girl?" A quiet but firm voice hissed.

"No...sir" she responded but her voice sounded strangled rather than the calm but angry tone that it had before. "Why are you here?"

"To simply keep a eye on you and ensure you didn't decide to drag the family name through the mud like you normally do through your foolish behavior."

"We took precautions against that when I agreed for the Academy for you, sir."

"Then see that you keep them in place. You know what the consequences are. Also, your mother has requested you for a formal event in a month's time. Be there." He ordered.

"...yes. Sir" she said quietly.

The firgure exited and Jorgan found himself face to face with the most stern faced man he'd ever seen. Dressed in full formal military uniform, the man simply stared at him with a look of disgust. Like Jorgan was a animal. The figure was a fair age with short grey hair and beard. It wasn't until Jorgan saw his eyes that he noticed a similarity between the mand before him and his CO, the same grey eyes. If he had to guess, this man was her father.

The man left in silence and it wasn't ling before Kass exited herself, almost bumping into Jorgan in the process. Her eyes went wide before they narrowed and she stared at him suspiciously. "What're you doing here?"

"Looking for you" he responded simply.

"Well...you found me."

Jorgan sighed and folded his arms, the anger from earlier in the morning returning with a vengeance. "While I appreciate you sticking your neck out for me, don't do it again. I can speak for myself" he snapped.

The suspicion drained from Kass's face and she simply looked exhausted. "Fine"

He observed her for a moment while a idea came to mind. "Sir, if I may make a recommendation for a moment. Would you mind following me?"

Kass debated on it then nodded and they both left the Senate Tower. He ended out taking her into a small cantina that was relatively quiet underneath the Senate Plaza and gestured for her to take a seat. She found a small booth and sat down to wait while he ordered something, eventually returning with a pair of steaming cups and placing one before her.

She looked at it carefully before smelling the contents. A sweet chocolaty aroma filled the air and she sighed in deep pleasure. "Haven't had one of these in years. What do I owe you?"

Jorgan waved his hand dismissively. "No charge, provided I get some information."

"Bribing me with chocolate is a good start as any I suppose." She reached for a few packets of sweetener and started dumping them in her cup.

"So, I looked up your record from before the ZR-57 op. You made quite the impression at the Academy: accelerated training programs, instructor recommendations, graduated top of your class...albeit later than most though most of that came from additional programs beyond basic training. Regardless, it's a heck of a transcript to be sure." Jorgan mused thoughtfully before taking a cautious sip of his caf. It was altered slightly so it was safe for him to consume but they always made it too bitter for his liking so he reached for a packet of sweetener as well.

Kass watched him suspiciously again. "Why were you looking through my record?"

"I like to know who I've serving with. Especially if they're the ones giving the orders."

"Makes sense I suppose"

"When I signed on to the Deadeyes my CO was Commander Vorne. Certified war hero and as decorated as they come. When he gave a order we trusted it, followed it to the letter. A squad needs that level of commitment to operate effectively."

She raised a eyebrow while stirring her drink. "Is that implying that you don't trust me?"

"It's admittedly a little hard to when you find out that prior to your CO's induction at the Academy, the name Kassela Ithesda didn't exist. Besides, trust requires more than a slick new promotion."

There was a clinking noise as she accidentally spilled part of her drink on herself and she mopped it up with a curse. Glad her formal uniform was dark colored at least, the stain wouldn't be noticeable. "What are you trying to get out of me Jorgan?"

"The truth."

She looked up, staring him dead in the eyes. When she saw he was serious she decided in this circumstance it was best to come clean. At least a little. "Fine. I assume you saw the man who left the inquiry before me?"

"Yes"

"Saves a little explaining I suppose." Kass sighed and took a deep gulp of her drink, groaning slightly at the taste as it relaxed her. "That man was my father. He made it to the rank of general and has since retired but he still gets called in on occasion to be asked for advice or opinion. We're a very old, very military orientated family with a strict sense on pride and honor...as well as completely dedicated to the Republic Senate to boot."

Jorgan nodded, drinking his drink in silence.

"The reason why I don't share the same family name...at least in current records in the army is because I wanted to get through the Academy on my own merit and skills. Not using the family name like some kind of parasite clinging to a bantha's ass. Not that it was easy going anyway."

"How so?"

She leaned back in her seat as she observed the other people around the room. "It was my twin who my parents groomed to be the one carrying on the family legacy. Not me. After she ran off somewhere and left me behind they latched onto me instead as the convenient back up. Since I didn't receive specific military training or tutoring she did I had to learn everything from scratch. There are other reasons too but I won't exactly spill all my guts right now." 

"So that's why you said you were used to expectations" She simply gave a sad smile and returned to her drink while he tilted his head at her reaction. "It was never enough was it?" he asked

Kass blinked. "Am I that easy to read?"

He smirked slightly. "Sometimes, it's just not the first time you've had that expression."

"Huh, looks like I need to watch myself more. For what it's worth, I didn't like deceiving you. I just...no...nevermind."

Jorgan opened his mouth to say something on what he'd heard in the hall when her holocom sounded and she pulled it out, activating it in the process.

"Lieutenant, General Garza here. I'd like for you to report to my office immediately."

"Understood general. We're on our way." Kass responded and Jorgan quickly finished off his cup, following her as she left the cantina.

 


	6. The First Step Part 1

Upon the return back to Garza's office she gave a slight reprimand for Kass's answering back at the inquiry but otherwise she seemed pleased that the secret of the original Havoc Squad's defection remained under wraps, at least for now. 

She gave Garza a heads up on the situation and quickly the general went into damage control mode as well as keeping a eye out for any further leads that might take them to Tavus and the remainder of the defectors. 

It took a few weeks and with her mother's event approaching quickly, Kass was beginning to get somewhat stir crazy being stuck on Coruscant and was more than eager to be elsewhere. As the days passed Kass had started using the spare time borrowing the gym facilities of the barracks keeping herself fit and combat ready. On one such self training session she was working through a set of unarmed combat techniques and didn't hear the door open behind her.

"Sir. I..." Jorgan's voice paused as he watched her. "How long have you been at that?"

"Dunno" she grunted, slightly startled by the Cathar appearing behind her. "What's the time?"

"About ten in the morning."

"Then about three hours, sergeant." Kass responded as she stopped and wiped down her face with a nearby towel. "There a reason you're here?"

"Garza sent word that she may have a lead to our....problem. She wants to see us asap."

Kass nodded. "I'll go change and meet you at the Senate Tower. Thanks,Sergeant."

"No problem sir" he replied and left.

She grabbed a change of clothes from her room and headed out to the refresher which was luckily quiet at this late stage of the morning. Kass quickly stripped, showered and went to dress again when she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. The wound from Ord Mantell had healed up, leaving a angry red scar mark in it's place. Though it wasn't alone and there was a large multitude of others all around the place on her body. Most of them had come from prior to her Academy days, from a military school that her parents had thrown her in at sixteen. 

Shrugging slightly she dressed in her armor and went to meet Jorgan outside the tower and they walked in together to Garza's office.

"Ahh, Lieutenant. Good to see you. My agents have discovered a vital new link to Havoc Squad here on Coruscant. Jek Kardan, the founder of Havoc Squad and Tavus's former mentor has been spotted in the city's lower levels. He's serving as a officer in the local vigilante group there."

Folding her arms, Kass frowned in thought. "Is Kardan tied in with the defection, General?"

"Kardan resigned his commission and disappeared after the debacle on Ando Prime, if he's turned up now then it can't be simply a coincidence."

"When they defected, Tavus told me that Ando Prime was the reason why. What the hell happened on that planet?"

Garza sighed and started pacing. "We sent Havoc to Ando Prime to cut off a Imperial offensive but the numbers of the enemy were much higher than intel had lead us to believe. When we tried to send a extraction team in the Senate shut us down. At the behest of one of our own no less. We were causing a 'incident' and 'breaching the peace' as they put it." She made a sound of disgust and shook her head.

"wait, one of our own blocked the move?"

"Then General Draeth came forward to the Senate. He claimed distancing ourselves from Havoc would prevent any further action from the Empire. He also gave vital information regarding the circumstances of the operation. As a result, Havoc had no choice but to find their way out on their own and my hands were completely tied"

"...so Tavus was telling the truth when he said they were abandoned." Kass said quietly.

The general nodded. "In spite of everything, Kardan led Havoc out of there alive. Lieutenant, they were put in a terrible situation but that's no excuse for their actions now. Kardan resigned as soon as he learned the truth and Tavus took over control of the squad but they were never quite the same after that. What's important now is that we have Jek Kardan's location and I want you to bring him in at all costs."

"I'll move out immediately, General."

"The vigilante group that Kardan is working with is called the Justicars' Brigade. They control a large area of Coruscant's lower levels and are openly hostile to all outsiders. While they do keep the peace and are respected down there, make no mistake. They are no friends to the Republic. Our survaillance shows that Kardan spends most of his time  in the Justicars' main base. You will attempt to apprehend him there."

"I understand, General" Kass responded stiffly and saluted, walking out a short time later. Once she was free from the room she clenched her jaw tightly and stalked to the taxi cars.

 


	7. The First Step Part 2

Jorgan followed in silence, trying to wrap his head around the revelation about the truth of Ando Prime. It took around half way through the car ride for him to realize that his CO hadn't said one word since the mission briefing and frowned but just assumed that she wasn't in the mood for talking.

It wasn't until they cleared out a rather nice section of the Justicars territory that she finally stopped for a breather. "You know...this would actually be a nice place to live. If it wasn't for the Justicars messing up the place." Jorgan ventured.

Kass raised a eyebrow in confusion and leaned against a wall. "How so?" she finally asked.

"Cathar tend to be...a little more efficient in the darkness. Our eyes adapt better in surroundings like these rather than a brightly lit area. The neon holoads tend to hurt after a while."

There was a faint quirk of her lips as she looked above them and reached for a small flask that was attached to her belt. "I can see how a location like this would be pretty. Secretive too, plenty of dark spots to line up a good shot." She raised her hand, miming firing a gun as she took a drink.

He folded his arms as he waited on her to finish. "So, mind telling me why you've been so quiet?"

She stared at him balefully. "Yes"

"Really now? If it impacts the mission..."

"Jorgan. Drop it. Now. That's a order." She said dangerously

Narrowing his eyes he stood at attention. "Yes...sir"

Growling slightly, Kass put her water flask back and continued deeper into Justicar territory in silence aside from making the occasional attack order. Eventually they came upon the final set of rooms and heard shouting coming from one of them.

"You listen to me Kardan! Supporting you has already put my operation at risk here! You'll do exactly what I say, when I say it or I'll-!"

"Or you'll what, Captain?" Kardan cut in to the Imperial's rant. "I'm not one of your lock-stepping drones. This part of the op is mine. End of discussion."

Kass nodded to Jorgan and they both pulled their weapons free, holding them at the ready as they steadily approached the argument.

"How dare you-" the Imperial hissed before one of Kardan's lackeys announced their arrival. 

Kardan was fast to react and pulled out his gun, holding the newcomers in his sights carefully. "Put those weapons on the floor now, nice and slow." He ordered.

She looked to the Imperials before flicking her gaze back to Kardan. "So, getting involved with the Imperials huh? Just like Tavus and the others..."

"You're going to pay for what you've donw Kardan. You, Tavus. Everyone." Jorgan growled as Kass restrained the urge to twitch at his words and just gripped her weapon all the tighter for them.

"Not going to happen soldier, now lower those weapons before..." Kardan stopped suddenly and squinted at the paint markings on their armor. "A Havoc badge? No, no, this must be some kind of a joke here. No....you're the recruit Tavus told me about. So... you survived after all. Can't say I'm surprised honestly, Havoc always did recruit the best."

"Save your compliments. Drop the gun." She snarled.

"I think not. The way I see it, you're outnumbered and I have things to do. I am impressed though. I didn't think the old lady had it in her. After all these years Garza still hasn't lost her edge."

The Imperial who had been forgotten about until now had finally lost his temper. "What are you waiting for?! Kill the whelp! or do you lack the resolve to fight for the Empire?" He shouted

"My loyalty is to Tavus" Kardan snapped. "Not you, not the Empire, nor anyone else. You want the trooper dead? then do it yourself. I don't kill good soldiers." He quickly holstered his gun. "I'm off to the Works, make sure everything is prepared."

"I'll still be after you Kardan." Kass vowed, keeping a eye on the jumpy Imperial guards behind their leader.

"Then I'll look forward to it" The older soldier responded nonchalantly and walked out, escaping before the shooting began.

The Imperial guards approached menacingly as their captain gave the order to fire. Kass and Jorgan immediately leaped in separate directions out of the line of fire. She kept moving, ducking and weaving to avoid the enemy's blaster fire as best as she could as she drew closer.

Jorgan noticed that she was having difficulty and her armor was suffering hits despite her best efforts. He heard a yelp of pain and fully turned to see his CO wincing slightly as she activated a mod on her weapon and opened fire. Growling slightly he went on the offensive, leaping on top of one of the guards and hitting his helmet hard with the butt of his rifle. It folded inward with a satisfying crunch and the guard was stunned from the attack. Seeing a spare moment he turned his attention to the other guard, Jorgan snarled  as he felt a burst of pain behind his shoulder and looked to see the captain with a raised blaster pistol and a dark smirk.

The look on the captain's face quickly turned to shock as he crumpled to his knees and revealed Kass standing behind him with her weapon raised. She reached to her belt and threw a cryo grenade at the guard Jorgan was now grappling with to grant him a few seconds breathing room. The guard groaned as he froze and Kass finished the captain with a high impact bolt. Jorgan taking care of his own enemy a short moment later. 

He leaned against the table as Kass finished off the stunned guard to have a breather as Kass walked away to deal with a call on her holocom. Jorgan scowled at the dead Imperials, the pain in his shoulder from being shot point blank wasn't helping his mood any when Kass finished the call and walked back to his position. He focused his scowl on her and it annoyed her enough that she scowled back. "What?" she snapped.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" 

"You. Just now. Pretty sure the Academy trained you better than that, rookie. Moves like that is deadly during a fight. Not just to yourself but to any men following you."

Kass clenched her fists tightly. "I'm well aware. Thanks for the observation." She spat.

Jorgan pushed off from the table and moved closer, similar to how they first met nearly a month ago but this time she was the CO and he wasn't and it pissed him off. Kass shifted closer herself, not backing down and giving him a equally hard stare though his breath fanned her face slightly.

"Back down, Sergeant. This is a order."

A long silence followed as they stood there before he eventually took a few paces back. "Turn around" she ordered and he did so, her gaze falling on a scorch mark that was damp with fresh blood coming from a gap in his armor between the back plate and shoulder.

The anger that she felt melted away and was quickly replaced by guilt instead. "Damn it. Can you reach that at all?"

The Cathar looked over his shoulder grumpily. "No sir"

Feeling awkward and knowing they were too far from a medic center, her mind raced to think up a solution so he wasn't walking around bleeding everywhere. "Sergeant" Kass paused for a moment, trying to think up the right words. "I'm going to have to treat the wound here in order for it to have some chance of healing properly."

Jorgan moved to shrug but hissed in pain as his shoulder stung sharply. "Save the medpacks for yourself". He grunted.

Kass relaized that there were several parts of her own body that stung slightly and looked down, finally noticing the scorch marks across her own armor. She experimentally dabbed at a hole with a finger and while it had come away with blood it was a shallow wound rather than a full shot. "I'll be fine. They just grazed me luckily. Just shut up and let me deal with this thing...please?"

He blinked at the 'please' and slowly moved to undo the necessary parts to his armor as he sat on the floor. Placing the parts in his lap, he heard a rustling noise behind him as Kass removed her gloves and started sanitizer she had in the medical supplies in her belt.

"Just asking, is it okay if I touch you?" Kass asked. Jorgan didn't respond immediately but nodded instead, gritting his teeth against the incoming pain he knew was coming.

Surprisingly gentle fingers eased away the undersuit and lowered the zip at the back, pushing the fabric aside to expose the wound completely. There was silence for a moment before the initial stinging devolved into a burning pain. Jorgan clenched his teeth harder and his hands curled into tight fists as he fought to remain still. He could recognize the smell of the cleaning solution as his CO sterilized his wound before a different smell of kolto permeated the air next.

Kass had a moment's hesitation on how to protect the wound and paused in confusion.

"Just...use the tape. I'll get the medic to deal with it after."

"You sure? You might just end out with a interesting bald spot on your back." She asked, joking slightly to try and lighten the wound.

He nodded in silence and felt those hands smooth down the fur on his back first before the wound was covered with a bandage and taped into position. She even went the extra mile by pulling his undersuit back in place and doing it up once more.

She stood back to clean off her hands and let him reattach the armor plates. Leaving him to it she scouted a little further ahead to obtain the information they needed and returned after sending it off to Garza.

Jorgan waited where he was, he was still as sore as hell and still annoyed with the attack and Kass's evasiveness but appreciated how she tended to his wound. He looked up as she came back into the area and approached.

"We have to follow Kardan into the Works. Garza decrypted the information and it turns out they're trying to use old tech to make a communication relay so they can build a safe network for interplanetary communications."

"Cutting off their networks. Interesting." he mused thoughtfully. "but effective."

"We just need to pick up some explosives on the way to the Works and we should be able to run into Kardan as well."

He nodded "Let's get moving before he escapes."


	8. The Works

The smell of metal, oil and trash was a nasty concoction  indeed and it wasn't long before Kass desired a extra long shower. She could only guess how her companion felt, considering his race had the sharper sense of smell than hers. Regardless it was a wonder that the Works was the thing that kept a vast amount of the planet running. The number of droids driven haywire from the Sacking was annoying her immensely however. Every time she thought she managed to slip by out of their sensor range she'd find either a tether wrapped around her waist as she was hauled back or there would be the tell tale mechanical roar as she attracted their aggression and impending pursuit.

After the third time Aric noted with a slight case of grim amusement that his new CO was getting very pissed off by the situation as she was lifted through the air once more. "I take it you've never been down here either?" He asked after the following fight.

She sighed and brushed herself off as they continued onward. "Nope. I barely set foot on the lower levels either. Wait...you were here once?"

"Twice actually. I did my officer training here after graduating. A little prior to being accepted to joining the Deadeyes. Rebuilding and construction was still going on then too, piecing back together the things the Imperials destroyed."

A unwanted memory resurfaced a little but it was hazy at best and Kass frowned slightly. "I remember a bit of it. Though I was still in the Academy at the time." She rounded a corner and stopped before quickly stepping back, knocking into him in the process. On reflex he reached out to steady her but stopped before his hands made contact with her arms and dropped them quickly. "Four Imperials plus Kardan ahead." Kass said before pausing to think for a moment. "I'm gonna see if I can talk him into coming with us."

Aric frowned. "What makes you think he'll even agree? He's a traitor and sees us as the enemy."

I'll explain later." She responded calmly. "Look, I know it's a long shot but I'm asking you to trust me on this. Don't pull the trigger unless the Imps start getting too jumpy."

He scowled and pulled his weapon free to hold it at the ready, making a show that his finger was off the trigger before Kass walked forward unarmed for the moment. Kardan heard her non subtle approach but didn't bother turning around. "Hmph. Still alive huh? You really should've gotten out of this while you were ahead, soldier. Now you're a threat to Tavus and the remainder of my people. So, Havoc Squad or not, I'm going to have to kill you."

"You always have a choice, sir." She replied, her voice calm but confident.

Kardan growled and span around to face her. "You're right. I've made my choice. Tavus, Wraith, Needles, Gearbox, Fuse... They were like my children and I abandoned them to that hell. I resigned and left them to fight alone just to make a damn point.! Now they need my help more than ever and I won't be abandoning them again."

"If you really want to help then you'll help me bring them in alive. You have to know that continuing on supporting the Empire is a death sentence."

He narrowed his eyes. "Stop trying to get into my head. It won't work."

"I'm just stating fact here. Garza sent me down to get your help in bringing them back alive, she doesn't want them dead but the more they continue on the path they're on then the harder that job becomes. Especially if they do enough damage that it can't be kept under wraps."

Kardan's mouth opened slightly and Aric watched as he wavered, considering the depth of Kass's words. _'She's definitely got a silver tongue...'_ he thought while the old soldier rubbed his forehead in agitation.

"I can't believe it's come to this..." He muttered to himself, causing the leading Imperial soldier to start with alarm.

"Sir?" The soldier questioned.

"You've already compromised the relay and Garza will have her men swarming for a klik in every direction....arrrgh.... Alright. I'll go along with this but if you harm a single hair on my men's heads..." Kardan threatened as he pointed at her.

Kass placed her hand over her chest. "I'll do my best not to I swear."

He sighed deeply. "Lets just get this over with."

She glanced over to see the Imperial soldier marching toward them, weapon drawn. "I can't let you do that sir, my orders were expressly clear not to allow you to be apprehended under any circumstances."

Looking annoyed Kardan folded his arms. "Didn't you hear me? The op's over boys. Pack up and go home while you still have the legs to carry you." As he tried to talk them down in his own way Kass could tell that the Imperials weren't going without a fight and she quietly reached for her assault rifle.

Aric noticed her movement and moved his finger on the trigger subtly as all hell broke loose. The other three Imperials reached for their weapons and immediately opened fire, leaving the three of them to dodge and roll out of the way of the incoming fire. Kass took the moment to fire a mortar volley into the group and knock all but the strongest down dead under the force of the impact. As the dust cleared, Aric and Kardan both fired upon the last remaining Imperial before he could recover from the attack and he fell to the ground with a gasp.

Closing her eyes in relief that it went well Kass holstered her weapon and regrouped with her companion and the defector. "Hmph, reminds me of old times." He grunted as Kass had a small amused smile on her face while he handed her his weapon. "Well, here's my gun. Consider me surrendered. I'll make my own way to the Senate Tower and turn myself in, see what Garza has planned next."

"That's a long trip old man, time's wasting" She teased prompting Kardan to roll his eyes.

"Ahh kids these days.." He complained. "Anyway, I'm sure we'll meet again in some form."

Kass nodded. "Glad I had the chance to fight with you, sir."

"Yeah..." He mused and scratched his beard as he began the journey back. "I guess it was nice to finally stretch the legs out a bit"

She watched him go while storing the gun in a spare holster on her back before walking to the relay and setting up the explosive given to her by another soldier on the way down. Tucking her hair behind her ear she focused hard on the task at hand, almost jumping when Aric cleared his throat. "Something wrong Jorgan?"

"It's been nagging at me, how'd you know he was going to agree?"

"To be honest, I didn't. But it's rare to see that much dedication to a squad to the point you're willing to commit treason to see their safety...so I used that against him."

"What about your promise?"

That caused her to stop what she was doing and look at him. "I'm sneaky but I do have a pretty strong sense of honor. A person I met at the Academy kinda drilled it into me. That being said I'll try to bring them in but if they fight me then I have to respond in kind."

Aric watched as she turned back to the explosive, once again that feeling came back. Like he knew her in some way but when he tried to follow on that thought it slipped away from his grasp like smoke. Figuring it'd come back at some point later on, he waited silently until she was done before they quickly hightailed it from the area before it went off.

It didn't appear as though Garza was in her office and there was no sign of Kardan either. Unsure of what to do considering she still had Kardan's gun in her possession she sat down at one of the long tables and sighed in annoyance before looking up at her companion. "Head back to the barracks and get properly patched up. I'll be staying here since I don't want to leave Kardan's gun just lying around."

He looked reluctant to leave so she just gave him a hard stare until he nodded. "Fine. But I want updates ASAP."

His attitude annoyed her further but she understood why and nodded. He seemed satisfied by that and saluted before leaving the room. Kass shook her head slightly and waited until Garza entered the office at long last. "Ah the hero of the hour, I'm pleased with the result lieutenant. Very pleased."

Kass handed over the weapon. "So he made it back alright then?"

"Indeed, Jek Kardan walked up to the Senate tower's front door and surrendered himself in broad daylight. I never thought I'd see the day. His help will give us a large edge against Tavus and the others. I'm glad you could change his mind."

"It's still not quite changed. But I managed to strike a partial deal at least." She confessed. "Is he in a secure location now?"

Garza nodded. "For the moment but I'm keeping him elsewhere first to ensure he doesn't have anymore tricks up his sleeve. I haven't come this far by taking chances. Meanwhile the Justicars' computer files included messages received to four other locations. Our technicians are working to pinpoint them now. There can be no doubt that the messages will lead us to the other traitors. Thanks to your efforts we'll be able to bring them to justice very soon."

"What're my orders in the meantime?"

"For now I need you to remain on Coruscant until the decryption is complete. I'll be contacting you soon with further orders."

Kass stood at attention and saluted as Garza dismissed her. Frankly she was hoping to have been given a immediate job to get her off the planet so she as least had a excuse to miss her mother's 'party' but it didn't look to be the case this time. She sighed and started on the journey back to the barracks.

* * *

 

The comparison between his CO's gentle hands and the medical droid's hard prodding ones was immense as it poked the wound again causing him to hiss in pain. "For the love of...knock it off already!" Aric growled at it, baring his teeth in anger. For that the droid poked him again and he was left with the strong desire to rip the damn thing limb from limb. At least until he found his CO leaning in the doorway then quickly looked elsewhere.

"Status?" She questioned before another droid gave her a datapad to read over. "Shallow wound. Good."

"What's the word from Garza?" Aric ground out as the droid finally started wrapping things up.

"Stationed here for now while her team decrypts some locations in the messages we found. She's assured me it shouldn't take long."

He nodded as the droid moved away, leaving him to pull his shirt back on. When he looked back he noticed Kass had also averted her gaze to some other corner of the medbay and cleared his throat when he was decent. "So what do we do now sir?"

"I have...something I need to do tomorrow so I'm granting you the next twenty four hours shore leave unless Garza contacts me." She replied, still refusing to make eye contact.

Aric frowned at her elusive behavior but considering that it wasn't really any of his business what she did on her own time he nodded. "Alright, sir. Just contact me on the holo if you need me."

She nodded and quickly vacated the area fanning herself sightly in the empty hallway as heat rose up the back of her neck while she strode to her room. She hadn't paid much attention earlier but damn he looked good under the armor. _'Now if only he'd brighten up a litt- what the hell are you thinking Kass?! he's your subordinate! Not a nerf steak to be slobbered over! but...damn those muscles and-'_ Her eyes widened and she pinched her hand hard to snap out of the thought before it went somewhere she really didn't want it to go. Back in her room she cleaned up the scrapes and wounds from the earlier fight, treating them over with a kolto spray that stung like hell and completely purged the earlier thought.

There was that feeling she'd forgotten something important however and it kept lingering even as she went to bed and fell asleep. 


	9. Memory

"Bloody....hurry up Ithesda!" Shouted the soldier as he strode quickly along the path leading to the admin offices. "Quit dragging your lazy ass and move it!"

Kass followed along behind. Far too tired to bother even thinking up a retort to the insult, then again it was nothing new anyway considering the past few years had been all too similar. All too soon she bumped into a warm body as the soldier suddenly stopped and roughly shoved her back with his elbow before saluting the leading officer for the Academy who was named O'Hare. Her gasp echoed around the quiet room and she heard the creaking of a chair as the officer stood up.

"when did we start assaulting our recruits? Get out and come back in a hour soldier." Kass felt a grim sense of satisfaction as the soldier paled sharply and exited without another word as the officer returned to his seat. "My apologies, Ithesda. I would have greeted you personally had I been able."

"Are you kidding me sir?" Another voice snapped angrily. "I didn't enlist to babysit runts."

O'Hare sighed and folded his hands across the desk while Kass looked up slightly. "Jorgan...there's a reason why I asked you and no one else, there's also a reason it's her and no one else. I'm just not at liberty to discuss the details for several other reasons."

The man named Jorgan had his back turned to her so she couldn't really see what he was like but she did hear him snort loudly. "So you take it upon yourself to 'volunteer' me?"

"It's not like you're not getting something out of it" O'Hare responded calmly before looking to both people in his room. "After your graduation I'll supply a referral to the commanding officer in any field of specialization you choose. Should give you a nice jump in terms of your career."

Jorgan was silent as he considered it before he turned to face her and booted feet slipped into her view. "Fine. I'll be holding you to the deal, sir. Eyes up recruit."

Reluctantly Kass raised her gaze to meet the man before her and was surprised to find herself staring into the brightest pair of green eyes she'd ever seen, so bright that they almost seemed to glow of their own accord. She watched shock cross his face before it quickly changed to something grim. "Anything else sir?"

"Ah, yes. I'll be making arrangements so starting tomorrow you two will be sharing the same classes over the next two years until the third year when you pick your specialization training. Meal times and otherwise will be the same, also Jorgan you'll need to give her a tour before you return to the dorms as she only arrived a short time ago."

Jorgan nodded and jerked his head toward the door. "Follow me then" he said and promptly left as Kass risked a look back at the officer who had since developed a 'cat ate the bird' look that quickly changed to a entirely innocent expression. Feeling vaguely confused and a bit unnerved she darted out the door to follow Jorgan as he gave a thorough and complete tour of the entire compound. From the training exercise areas to even the train stations that could take them all over Corellia on specific free days from training.

During the journey she observed him closely. Jorgan was a little shorter than the average Cathar but he still had plenty of growing to do, he also wasn't as stocky. His tawny fur stood out somewhat, along with his dark brown mane...hair... that stuck out in odd angles as though he'd been zapped too many times by electricity and just got stuck that way. Kass did notice however that he wasn't attracting any friendly gazes from the other recruits and even trainers, instead they were outright glaring at him as they passed by. Jorgan ignored them like a champ and just continued on with the tour until he stopped outside the women's dorms. "Alright that's about everything. I want you up at 0400 hours to join me on a morning jog before the breakfast bell is rung." He said, bringing her attention back on him. "Any questions?"

"Um....ah...I-I" Kass stammered. "What's your name?" She asked a little too loudly which surprised him

"My name? Aric Jorgan."

* * *

Kass almost dropped the glass she was holding as the memory came to a close.  _'Wait...what? I knew him?'_ she thought while frantically trying to grab at the memory but it faded like smoke and refused to return. Quietly she rubbed at her temple while ignoring the noise of talking and music around her and sighed.

She hated these events of her mother's. All the glitz and glamour kind of reminded her of the one occasion a travelling circus came to Coruscant when she was young and her carer took herself and her twin to see it. The performers all wore masks and for some reason she was utterly terrified and bawling her eyes out before the end of the show, much to her adult self's embarrassment. But the similarities were there, just the masks were completely different and it still made her uneasy. 

Despite wanting to be anywhere else but here for some reason she just couldn't say no, every time she was going to her mouth just went 'yes' instead. ' _It's just one damn word...why can't I say it'?!'_ Kass thought as she mentally kicked herself. She felt like a idiot suddenly running off and being here of all places while Tavus was off doing hells knows what out there.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught a flash of yellow and gold moving straight in her direction and steeled herself for the arrival of her mother, Laena Draeth.

"There you are, standing off alone like some pathetic creature. Why aren't you mingling already?!" She complained

Internally Kass felt like screaming but instead she pasted a smile on her face. "This is your event mother, not mine. I was taking a moment to enjoy a drink anyway."

Laena frowned. "Really. Seems like you're just being lazy instead." Without warning she grabbed her daughter's arm and hauled her through the crowd. "We do this for you, you know."

 _'Yeah and I'm secretly the Supreme Commander and Chancellor rolled into one'_ Kass thought bitterly as she was dragged around the room, meeting and greeting political figures who's names she wouldn't even remember in a few hours. None the less she remained polite and pleasant as much as she could despite her mother's sharp nails breaking the skin under her dress if she so much as said a word out of place or was too slow moving to the next person. Eventually a droid approached them and said something quietly into Laena's ear as her face twisted with disappointment.

"Fine. Take her then. She's absolutely useless to me anyway, don't know what her father sees in her." She said loudly enough so Kass and several guests could hear and see as the droid gestured to the rooms at the back of the luxury apartment home. Kass's cheeks burned in shame and anger as she deposited her glass on a passing tray and made her way to her father's office.

Nolan Draeth leaned against his desk as he watched her enter. His grey eyes missed nothing as they focused on her face but ignored his daughter's discomfort as he picked up a datapad and held it in her direction. Taking it, Kass gave it a fast skim read before a name caught her eye and she read through it more carefully. "Senator Krasul was kidnapped?"

"A few hours ago. Your general should be getting word of it shortly but I wanted to make claims first." He said as he got up from the desk. "I want you to bring Krasul back personally. Not leave him with some other faction of SpecOps."

Kass frowned. "I have other work to do father. I'm expecting to be given the next details of my mission straight after if he is indeed captured, which in turn will require me elsewhere."

"Are you doubting my sources, girl?" Nolan asked quietly, making Kass twitch. 

"No, sir."

"Then I suggest you make the time and find a way to bring him back and quickly." he ordered, staring hard into his daughter. 

Kass placed the datapad on a nearby table. "Does this mean I can avoid these events for a while?"

He looked to consider it for a time before giving a slight nod. "You'll still need to return on the occasion for your mother. At least once every two months and for the holidays as well."

"I'll take it." She responded and her father gestured for her to leave. She did so gratefully and true to his word her holocom sounded with a call from Garza not just confirming the information but designating a ship for Havoc Squad's use as well. Though she was surprised to hear it was Wraith who made the first move rather than one of the other members of the former squad...then again she was the best person for the job. Eager to be out of the place before her mother noticed her unusually long absence she quickly called for a taxi speeder and went to the garage to escape rather than explain and likely not be listened to when she said work was calling. The taxi arrived quickly and she thanked the stars as she was whisked away from that place and quickly formulated plans of action in her head for when she met Wraith...

 

 

 

 


	10. Secret's Out

Aric followed Kass out of the ship into Port Raga's airlock in silence. The absolute last thing he expected to see was his new CO dressed in the finest gown and jewelry credits could buy outside his door in the late hours of the evening, she'd simply passed on a datapad with directions on it along with a few orders to pack up and meet her at the location. He'd noticed a small bloodstain on the inside of her sleeve and questioned her on it but she simply walked away as though she hadn't heard it or was outright ignoring him and that was contributing to the scowl he had on his face several hours later.

Sergeant Jaxo waved from her hiding spot near the door to the main hanger bay and Kass approached her. "Hey there LT, good to see you. Looks like we have a real show in store today."

She raised a brow as she pulled her hair back into a short ponytail and tucked the long part behind her ear. "What kind of show?"

"Only the best kind, lots of gunfire and explosions." Jaxo grinned before noticing Aric's scowl and the smile quickly faded from her face. "Ahem...we managed to keep your landing inconspicuous so they don't know you're here but the second you leave this room they'll know you're here."

"I expected as much" Kass sighed as she checked on her sidearm. "What about the senator?"

Jaxo rubbed her chin slightly. "That's were things get interesting, from what we've been able to gather from slicing into the cameras it seems they've got him strapped to a bomb. I can't give you the specs of it exactly but considering it's size it'd ruin your day if you happened to be in the same room if that thing went off."

"What about Wraith?"

"No sign of her, but considering her role in Havoc formerly I'm not surprised."

Kass nodded as she considered the situation. "Alright, one last thing. I'll handle delivering the senator back to Coruscant personally, he might not appreciate it but..." she trailed off as she finally noticed the combined look of shock and fury coming from her companion but regardless he was silent. Even Jaxo looked unimpressed.

"I had express orders from General Garza to take him off your hands LT."

"I had a request from his wife that I handle it...look, I'll explain to Garza later on so you don't get strung up because of this alright?"

Both Aric and Jaxo looked heavily suspicious to the point that Kass felt sweat slide down the back of her neck. "Fine. I'll have my boys clear out the hanger bay after you. I hope you know what you're doing, sir." Jaxo eventually replied, slipping back to formality instead of the casual relaxed tone she normally had. Internally she felt a bit ill over having to pull the subterfuge routine with both her and Aric and quickly walked away and opened the hanger door as she pulled her rifle from over her shoulder.

The hanger was full with a assortment of ships, Imperial troopers and Republic traitors that made her scowl slightly as she picked out a path to the opposite door and made a few hand gestures to make sure she had Aric's attention before slipping to the wall and following it around so they wouldn't get noticed. This was annoyingly short lived as she didn't keep track of a passing patrol and heard him yell a combat shout to her left that was followed quickly by the virtually the entire hanger catching on to their presence. Their exit opened and Jaxo's team poured in as Kass and Aric laid covering fire while ducking behind whatever cover was available.

Mentally cursing herself for being so damn clumsy she snapped another round of ammo in her gun and fired off a mortar volley to help thin the numbers out with Aric sniping as best as he could from behind a crate. Slowly the numbers dwindled down to something a little more bearable when Kass felt the gun under her hands grow quickly hot, cursing again she stowed it onto her back to get it to cool and tapped on her link. "Aric try and follow me to the door asap. Jaxo, can you handle things out here?"

"Think we can for a bit, try not to be too long getting the senator out." Jaxo responded, sounding out of breath. Kass looked up to find Aric scowling at her and she quickly turned and ran down toward the opposite door, finding the hallway thankfully devoid of people thanks to her little attention grab a short time ago.

Together they ran to where Krasul was being held and took care of the guards that remained before she cautiously approached both the senator and the bomb that he looked to be sitting on. Krasul looked up and scowled. "Oh, it's you" he observed with disdain. "I should've known Garza would try to keep all this wrapped up in her twisted little family. Well hurry up! You surely know how to defuse bombs don't you?"

"If you don't mind elaborating on why Wraith kidnapped you in the first place." Kass replied while folding her arms and slowly walking around the chair.

"They were going to film me, force me to say that the Senate abandoned them on Ando Prime!"

Kass stopped and leaned in close, trying to see the some of the equipment off to the side of the chair. "Technically you did."

The senator was watching her a little too closely and it was making her feel uneasy. "I know you from somewhere...-" He mumbled before seeming to snap out of it. "-Havoc was going to cause a incident that would threaten the entire treaty. We did what had to be done!" Her eyes narrowed into a glare and Krasul's face dawned with understanding. "I do know you! Hah, should have figured that Draeth would send his daughter after me. Hurry up and get me out of here." He ordered, appearing smug with satisfaction.

Meanwhile in the background Aric had to fight to keep his jaw from dropping while Kass looked furious. "Wait...what?"

"Great. Thanks. Shout that a little louder sir why don't you?" she snapped angrily while looking around the room carefully. There was a vague hint of movement in the background and she felt a strong sinking feeling hit her square in the gut while Krasul sputtered.

"How dare you!"

She raised her eyes to the ceiling while mentally reciting numbers in her head. "I'll spit this out clearly _sir_ , you've just outed my identity to the worst possible people imaginable and made my mission a damn lot harder. It's sorely tempting to just leave you and go after Wraith right now."

Both Aric's eyes and Krasul's widened. "You wouldn't..."

"No I wouldn't. So shut up and let me do my damn job peacefully." She snapped while pulling out a datapad to consult it as Aric returned to glaring at her and Krasul thankfully fell silent to let her work. She circled around the chair a few more times, pausing to keep track of the various pieces of equipment before looking around the room again while Aric followed her in silence. "I suggest you get out in case I screw up Jorgan." 

Aric simply folded his arms and remained where he was stubbornly while Kass rolled her own. "Right then, don't say I didn't warn you." She muttered while walking to a terminal and closing the hanger door. After activating the depressurizing sequence she walked carefully back and got to work on dismantling the bomb. No one said a word, even after the job was done and she handed Krasul her side arm. "Keep behind myself and the sergeant at all times, we're taking you back on our ship. Understood?"

Krasul bit off a retort and merely nodded as she span around and started quickly jogging back to the door. Jaxo had done her job well in supplying backup and the hallway was still empty but she didn't want to take chances considering their company so she pulled out her rifle once more and held it at the ready as they moved together back into the main hanger bay. The fight had dwindled to just a few Imps and traitors which were being taken care of easily so they didn't need to worry about lending support. On the way back to the airlock she caught Jaxo's eye and they nodded to one another before Kass quickly made her escape.

Once aboard the Thunderclap the senator sat himself in the closest seat toward the door as she continued onward to the pilot's seat and disengaged from the airlock into open space. She sat back in her seat when she engaged the auto pilot for hyperspace back to Coruscant and sighed when she heard heavy footsteps approach from behind.

"What the hell was that?!" A angry voice snapped as she turned to find a furious Cathar behind her. "Secrecy and threatening a senator?! Was that the real reason why we're taking Krasul with us instead having Jaxo handle it? Just so you can look good in front of daddy?"

The thin shred of control she had broke as she stood up and shoved him. "What in hell do you know?! You think you know me huh serge- oof!" she gasped as he roughly shoved her back and she knocked into the captain's chair. Her armor jabbed painfully into her back and she quickly retaliated with a hard punch to his face.

Aric wasn't expecting her left hand to suddenly come flying at him and his head tilted back with the force of her punch. Things quickly devolved into a full out brawl of rough punches and shoves as they used one another as their punching bag. He wasn't sure how much time had passed as they kept at it until finally they stood there staring at one another while panting heavily. Her lip was cut rather deep and a bruise was developing on her cheek and he could smell metal, quickly he dabbed at his nose and found blood on his glove. Upon his movement Kass's face filled with regret and she pulled a cloth out from a pocket from her armor. "What the hell am I doing?" she asked herself quietly as she held it out to him.

"I...shouldn't have let my temper get the better of me, sir. Punish me in any way you see fit." He said when he took it and held it up to his nose, tilting his head down to ensure the blood didn't enter his airway.

Kass looked around as she licked at her lip. "We're both guilty here Jorgan...I'm sorry for losing control like that." She closed her eyes to think for a moment before sitting down in one of the chairs in the cockpit and gesturing for him to do the same. "Look...my full name is Kassela Jayli Draeth. Not Ithesda. My father is the sole person responsible for ruining your illustrious career and providing the fodder for the original Havoc to defect."

He took a moment to take it all in. "Why cover it up?"

"Because both my mother and father have enemies. Some are political, some are people like Tavus and going under my proper surname used to be a living hell for me personally." Aric looked confused and Kass shook her head. "I don't remember much of it but I used to get involved in a lot of fights as a kid. Eventually I got pulled out of military school and desperately struck a deal with my father to go under a different surname rather than risk being ganked by someone because of it. The desire to prove my own self didn't really come into effect until after I snapped out of whatever deep blue funk I was in."

Aric gently dabbed at his nose to ensure the bleeding had stopped before neatly folding the handkerchief with the intention of getting it cleaned before returning it. "So it's more than likely that Tavus will directly target you now if Wraith overheard Krasul."

"Yup. Though probably not directly depending on what deal he has running with the Empire, but I wouldn't be surprised if something showed up like a bounty hunter maybe." She shrugged. "I'm sorry for keeping it quiet. I'll admit I was worried that you'd think less of me especially considering that I was kind of the kink that lost you your position on Ord Mantell."

He sighed and finally met her eyes. "Unlike most people, I judge by a person's actions. Not what their parents did or didn't do, I just don't appreciate secrets being kept from me like that."

"Sorry." Kass mumbled and he waved his hand to dismiss it.

"What's our ETA for Coruscant?"

"Eight hours provided nothing happens." She answered. "Now that I think about it, I should probably inform our guest unless he intends to sleep on a chair the entire ride home."

Aric nodded "Have fun with that" he said while he watched her get up with a wry expression before silently watching the galaxy map turn as she left.


	11. Memory - Aric

The sun was bright and the air just a little shy of being too hot as the Corellian summer was in full swing. Aric quietly walked down the path, quite enjoying the warmth himself but his charge however was another story. She claimed to have pretty much lived on Coruscant throughout her entire life aside from the previous three years. Due to the Coruscant WeatherNet controlling the weather, the temperatures didn't fluctuate all that much which explained why generally after the evening classes were done that he pretty much had to pour a full bottle of water over her head to get her to cool off.

Kass had eventually opened up over the past few months and started contributing more to conversations rather than answering his awkward prompts or following him like a pet akk dog, but she was still very quiet and reserved. Especially when it came to other company or required group training exercises when she stuck to his side like glue. At first it was annoying and he had to carefully shove her off, now days he was finding himself quite accustomed to her company...even beginning to enjoy it some might say. 

Frantic shouting and yelling caught his attention and he looked up to find a large crowd in front of one of the news holos. Smoke and burning buildings was pictured at first until a shaky camera focused on the sky and Empire ships could be seen. His eyes widened and he jogged over, catching sight of a bun of red hair in the crowd a short distance in. Pushing through the crowd he fought to reach Kass before she got sucked too far into the crowd, at least that was his plan until someone roughly shoved him back into the outskirts.

"We are continuing our rolling reports from our reporters on the ground in Coruscant. Official sources have been unable to comment but are officially announcing that the Empire has attacked Coruscant." Came the anchor's voice over the loudspeaker.

His eyes widened and he tried to push through the crowd with renewed vigor to reach Kass as the tension in the crowd snapped and people bolted to reach the nearest interstellar communications terminal. Pain erupted in his body as he was repeatedly shoved around by people in a panic and he lost track of Kass's location. Aric held still and looked around, letting the people move around him rather than try to fight through it until only a few people remained. He'd fully expected Kass to have followed the people but instead she was just standing there, staring at the repeating footage of Sith attacking the capital of the core worlds.

Carefully he reached out and touched her arm, surprised when she jumped a foot in the air. "Kass? Are you alright?" he asked warily.

She avoided his worried gaze and mumbled something before slowly walking away and he followed close behind until she got to a bench under a tree and sat down, seemingly staring at nothing. Aric frowned and sat nearby, not too close but enough so she would at least be aware he was there. "I don't know what to think right now..." she finally said quietly.

"You got family back home?"

"Yeah...just my mother and father. What about you?"

Aric paused to consider it. "Last I checked my parents and litter mates were all on Rendili excepting my youngest brother. Last I heard he was on a trading mission to Coruscant..." He trailed off as Kass gently shoved him.

"Go see if he's okay then. I'll be fine."

Suddenly he felt ticked off at her response to him and growled. "You're not fine. Don't lie to me, recruit. I hate that above anything." She actually flinched at his reprimand and instantly he felt shame hit him square in the gut. "Look, if you need support when you call home I can...come with you...if you want it."

She shook her head. "Is it weird that I don't want to? Call them that is..." He must have looked confused and she watched him with a pained expression. "I'm not happy they're caught up in this, but I'm not sad either. I don't know...I'm confused more than anything."

Confusion gave way to a hefty dose of concern. This was something that he didn't like the implications of and he tried to scrounge for a opinion, some kind of word of support. But the current situation of Coruscant or the fact that he didn't understand or know her circumstances made him draw blanks. It was a tough situation and against better judgement he moved a arm around her and pulled her thin form into a gentle embrace. Instantly she stiffened against him and shook. "Just say the word and I'll back off. Promise."

It was weird. At his words she seemed to relax a little and actually rested her head on his shoulder as she continued shaking a little. Drawing whatever, somewhat awkward, comfort he was willing to provide. It was that moment that he noticed that she was bearing more on her shoulders than he thought originally several months ago and he began to feel a sense of respect growing. Eventually Kass gently pushed on his chest and he let go, feeling the heat rise on the back of his neck when he noticed she had a slight blush across her cheeks. "Ahem...... feeling a little better?"

Kass nodded quietly. "Somewhat less like a monster now. Thank you Aric, for listening and...that..."

Aric tugged on the collar to the Academy uniform in a level of embarrassment and hurriedly got up from the bench. "We should head back, I'm sure the teachers will want to make a announcement on Coruscant."

She nodded and got up. But instead of walking behind him like she usually did, they walked back together side by side.

* * *

Aric snapped out from his day dream that he'd slipped into since beginning to stare at the galaxy map of the Thunderclap. He looked around the room just to be sure of where...and when he was before thinking back over what his mind had decided to conjure up to torment him. Instantly he remembered that embrace and felt the heat rise strongly on the back of his neck as he glanced toward the door his CO had exited just a short time ago. Realizing that Kass from that memory and the Kass who just left were one in the same person.  _'Oh....craaaaap'_

 


	12. Weakness

Aric listened to Kass toss and turn on the bunk underneath him. Unfortunately for her Krasul had insisted that it was a matter of duty as well as 'manners' that she give up her own bed for someone of higher authority, ergo him. She was, by that point, too tired to argue and was just more or less grateful that no awkward questions were raised over the slightly battered state of both their faces. None the less, after the memory deciding to take that appropriate time to resurface he was more than a little aware of her presence under him as she occasionally made noises in her restless slumber.

He wasn't sure what time he managed to doze off but his internal clock woke him at his usual time at five am, causing his head to throb painfully at being disturbed with so little proper rest. Kass was gone, though the door to her quarters was closed and he heard shuffling around in the miniature galley at the back of the ship. Poking his head around the door he caught sight of the tracksuit covered rear belonging to his CO and instantly ducked back around the corner as he cleared his throat to announce his presence. 

A loud bang was heard along with a yelp as Kass appeared, rubbing her head with a wince. "Can you think of better ways to announce yourself rather than scare the living daylights out of me?" she grumbled, tugging the tee shirt she slept in back in place.

"Sorry sir, just wanted to let you know that I was up"

Kass sighed. "Just a warning, Seeto called us all fat before I turned in last night and said he adjusted the food processors. I was trying to see if I could find something safer to eat."

He couldn't help but groan in disgust. "How bad is it?"

"In terms of cereal? Like wet cardboard crossed with paper. Hell it even looks like it too." She complained as she pointed to a bowl on the counter. "I'm all for meeting dietary requirements but not at that cost."

"Permission to acquire replacement rations...and possibly a little real food on the side?" He asked, risking a look into the bowl. The sight alone was enough to put him off any idea of breakfast for a good long while.

"Ugh, immediately granted...and I'll have words with Seeto about 'adjusting' things without permission. Especially in the food department. That aside, I'm gonna go ahead and use the 'fresher first before the senator decides to grace us with his presence, I'll let you know when I'm done for your turn." She said while taking the bowl and throwing it plus it's contents into the trash. Aric moved aside to let her pass in peace before making the attempt to try and find something for himself for breakfast.

A while later, Krasul was somehow managing to swallow down rations that Aric had managed to locate while Kass was reading over the news she downloaded onto a datapad and sipping a weakened caff. Aric arrived back into the briefing room just in time to see caff fly everywhere into Krasul's face as Kass started choking for some reason. He had to admit the murderous expression on the senator's face was hilarious and he only just managed to keep a neutral expression as the older Cathar wiped the drink from his fur. "Was that really necessary, Lieutenant?" he growled.

Kass on the other hand was thumping her chest in a bid to clear her airways before finally settling down to sporadic coughing and wiping tears from her eyes. "Sorry my near death experience was so inconvenient, sir." She retorted as Aric disappeared and tossed her a towel a short moment later.

The senator just rolled his eyes and ignored her as a chime went off to signal they were back in Coruscant space. Aric picked up the datapad and gave it a cursory looking over after cleaning the caff from it before pausing. A passenger ship called the Esseles had been attacked by a Imperial warship between the Republic Fleet and Coruscant space, a direct violation of the treaty. Few details were given but the article did make mention of a hero rescuing a ambassador and the surviving passengers from Imperial and Mandalorian forces. Below the article was a picture of a white haired woman giving the peace sign to the camera while her companion, he presumed, was quietly facepalming in the background. He almost wouldn't have thought anything of it if it wasn't for the fact that other than a tan, the woman's face was a exact mirror copy of his commanding officer, even to the last freckle. This woman, was her missing twin...

* * *

Kass was more than a little happy to have the senator off her ship, but that balloon burst when her parents insisted on accompanying her to the senator's home. Her bitter mood was wiped into guilt as she watched his wife come bursting out his front door and wrap her arms around his neck in a strong embrace. The sight spurred off a strange sense of longing along with further guilt and...sadness? She pinched her wrist behind her back and kept as neutral faced as possible when two fuzzy heads also poked around the doorway and latched themselves onto their father's legs.

The senator's face melted into something so soft and adoring it surprised her that the foul tempered old man could show such things. Quickly he remembered that he wasn't alone and gave his wife a fast kiss on the cheek before depositing both boys into her arms. She gave Kass a grateful look and nodded her thanks before disappearing inside the door. "Ahem" Krasul started, clearing his throat. "Draeth, once again you have my thanks for both the assistance and sending your daughter to escort me."

"Its our pleasure senator." Nolan responded politely. "I trust this means..."

Krasul nodded. "Say the word when it's needed and you have my support in the senate. You haven't lead us astray in your advice yet."

"Good. We'll leave you be to rest after your ordeal and I'll contact you further with details at a later date." He responded, making Kass frown slightly in confusion which she quickly wiped from her face when she noticed her mother glaring at her.

"Lieutenant, I apologize for not being more...amiable during our brief time together. Thank you for bringing me back home and I hope to see you again some day in the future."

"Thank you, sir" She answered respectfully and saluted. Krasul disappeared inside while she followed her parents back to the speeder car. Nolan stopped after assisting his wife into her seat first and faced his daughter. "Kassela, I've recieved word from Governor Saresh that she wishes your presence as soon as possible. At next opportunity I want you to see her and you're to obey her every request like it was my own or your mother's do you understand?"

Kass's mouth moved before she could stop to think about the consequences. "Why? I already had to go above and beyond the line of duty to bring the senator back here, risking numerous questions from General Garza in the process. This is borderline insubordination father and you know it."

She almost wished she'd said nothing as her father's face turned into cold blankness while her mother's was a mask of fury as she looked over her shoulder at them. "Make no mistake, Kassela. You have the job you have now because  _we_ allowed it. You continue to live in luxury because  _we_ allow you to. Or are you implying that we've done absolutely nothing for you, that we haven't sacrificed for you or that we haven't moved heaven and earth for you so you could live in comfort?"

 _'YES, YES, YES, YES!!!!'_ Her mind screamed out while her body froze in place. "No...." She responded so quietly that it was almost a whisper. Her heart sank and suddenly she felt like she was a child once more, trying to play the adult.

Laena relaxed a little. "Remember, we do all this for you. I don't like playing the bad person but you're forcing me to by answering back like that."

"You made a arrangement with me, remember?" Nolan asked quietly. "As a result, any order I give you must obey. No questions asked."

Kass twitched and shrank further as her strength was quickly drained from her. "Fine...I'll see her when I have time."

Instantly the mood lightened back into cool professionalism. "She's on Taris overseeing the reconstruction efforts there. Obey her as you would me."

"....yes, sir" She responded quietly while keeping her head down. Neither of her parents said another word as they left her there to find her own way back to the spaceport and ship. The call from Garza wanting clarification came sooner than expected, but regardless she seemed pleased that they had the senator in their pocket or so the old general thought, and passed on the next assignments to locating Tavus which were on the planets Taris and Nar Shaddaa before closing the com.

For a while Kass sat by herself on the gangplank to the Thunderclap until the sound of footsteps made her head jerk up and she found Aric frowning at her while holding a large box. "Sir? Any reason why you're sitting out here of all places?"

"Just having a really shit day..." She sighed. "Don't worry too much on it."

He looked at her skeptically, her face was sharply pale and she looked on the verge of tears. Having a hunch that he wasn't going to be getting answers out of her any time soon he deposited the box near the door. "You know I ran into a interesting sight today." He said as he sat down to join her. Kass didn't respond but she didn't tell him to leave either so he took it as a good sign that she wanted at least some form of company. "Ran into a white haired woman at the cantina, looked exactly like you aside from the tan and a really rough voice. Took down several Exchange thugs solo with her fists, apparently they had some form of lead to a missing starship."

That got a reaction as she slowly turned to stare at him. "What...?"

"Yup, didn't really stick around to see the end result mind you. Just thought you'd like to know." 

Kass facepalmed but her mood seemed a little more relaxed now. "Great. All the more reason to leave quickly, speaking of which we have our next assignment. A choice of two it seems."

"Oh?"

"Your choice is chasing down a experimental and presumably powerful Republic droid on Nar Shaddaa or trudging through Rakghoul infested swamps on Taris, presumably one of the traitors was spotted but results are unconfirmed. Both planets are probably going to require shots mind you, just for entirely different reasons."

"I can imagine..." He responded dryly. "Tempting as it is to go straight for Tavus, I'm going to have to go with Nar Shaddaa. There's too much risk potential for pissing the Hutts off as well as innocent people getting caught up in this mess but the Hutts are the bigger problem." Kass glanced off to the side awkwardly and he caught it. "Alright, what'd you do?"

"IIIII may have a tiny record with the Cartel involving a casino brawl and a missing supply of credits. Just don't be surprised if I wear a helmet to keep a low profile, the giant worms have a really long memory." She confessed.

Aric narrowed his eyes. "Mind elaborating on that 'record'?"

She scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "So I was on tour for a while and on one of our breaks they took as to Nar Shaddaa for a night provided we kept to well lit areas and didn't end up in the red light district. Spaceport, the promenade and the casinos that surrounded it were the only places deemed 'safe'. Go to one while rather buzzed from drinks, find that someone stole my credits and I proceeded to track the guy down and pay him back in full plus interest. Long story short there was several hundred thousand credits worth of damage because other people decided to take advantage and get involved as well. The Hutt owner caught me on camera as the main instigator and wanted my hide, took the full diplomacy of the embassy along with a couple more hundred thousand credits to get the guy to look the other way but he's had it out for me since. He still likes to send me friendly messages as a reminder."

"So in short I'm not to let you near casinos or alcohol."

Kass scowled. "I can drink smart ass, I learned my lesson from that."

"I was teasing."

"You? teasing? Stars, hell is freezing over. No, wait hold on. Gotta get a camera for that. Evidence must be documented!"

Aric rolled his eyes but noticed she had a small smile. "Feeling better now?"

At that Kass blinked but nodded. "Thanks, I really needed that. What's in the box by the way?"

"Supplies that I'm keeping hidden from Seeto. It'll do for a while at least but we might want to requisition rations at our next stop just to make sure we have enough to last in the event Command sends more people to Havoc."

"Do I get to find out where they're hidden?"

He smirked slightly and she blinked.  _'Damn he looks good when he smiles...and stop that brain! Knock it off with drooling all over my subordinates! I can't do anything anyway, you know why!'_ Kass thought, snapping out of that train of thought. "So long as you keep the door shut behind you when you go looking for them. At least he can't throw them out when it's already heated." Aric replied.

Kass smiled faintly as she pulled herself to her feet and started heading inside. "Alright, we should get moving. People to save, traitors to stop and all that."

"Right behind you sir." He replied, following close behind.

 


	13. Love the Nightlife

Aric had raised a eyebrow and called her paranoid when Kass had insisted on blank armor, nothing was to show the Havoc patch let alone the Republic insignia. He'd reluctantly complied but took his comment about her paranoia back when he noticed Cartel Security watching them with close scrutiny, their weapons were gripped tighter than normal and some of them had their hands raised to talk on their comlink implants. He caught Kass's eye and raised a questioning brow to which she just shrugged back in response before they entered the Slippery Slopes Cantina where their contact waited.

"Ah. You're here. Go ahead and take a seat...also keep your voice down" Balkar said quietly as he gestured to a seat beside him with a charming smile.

Kass tilted her head slightly and sat down opposite, deliberately keeping the table between them. "There people listening in on us?"

"With a face like yours? I know I would..." He responded with a smirk as Aric scowled in the background. Balkar's gaze flicked to him for a moment before he returned to focusing on Kass. "Hope you like the cantina, it's not one of my favourites but it is conveniently located."

"Just as well, heard their drinks are swill unless something changed since the last time I was here." Kass muttered as she stared at the bottle on the table with disgust. "Anyway to business please."

"Very well. There's a vault not too far from here, it's a merc operation and holds valuables for anyone with the credits to pay. I've had word that our mutual friend is coming for a visit."

Kass raised a eyebrow. "We have a welcome party arranged?"

"Not exactly, no." He responded as he poured himself a glass of some brown liquid. "A group of paramilitary types always show up to case the area out before our friend drops by, we've spotted them a short time ago actually. You could head in there right now but I don't want to risk scaring them off and into hiding. Wouldn't want to lose the guest of honor would we?"

"That would be bad....definitely bad."

"I have people watching over the vault, once they spot our target we'll get this party started." Balkar paused for a moment to take a sip of his drink before the charming smile reappeared. "So...Havoc Squad huh? Nice to for Garza to send her very best...very best indeed" he murmured as he leaned closer over the table, staring with a little too much interest at the lieutenant.

Irritation and anger quickly filled the Cathar who was still standing in the background who couldn't really figure out just why the sight was bothering him so bad. Sure, the fact that Balkar was flirting on the clock with his CO while they had a job to do was annoying enough but something else was really pissing him off and it wasn't being the third wheel. He looked at Kass's face who was staring back at the SIS agent with professional disinterest and the irritation eased off. ' _Well...at least she isn't flirting back....wait...'_

Aric shook his head as Balkar's holocom sounded and he pulled it out, quickly answering the fellow agent on the call. "Well then, that's our cue. You ready to head out?" 

"Let's get this party started then." Kass responded and got up quickly from the table.

"Excellent, deal with the droid and we should have you back out in the next hour. All nice and tidy. Good luck, we'll have our eyes on you." Balkar said as Kass nodded and left like the train to her armor was on fire as she strode quickly to the lower skytaxi to get to their destination.

* * *

M1-4X wasn't exactly what she was expecting to see in a droid, not just in terms of his overall size but also just how patriotic he was toward the Republic. She felt a slight twinge of guilt deep in her gut that still lingered from a few hours ago when Andrik issued a override command that forced the poor droid to obey him. The droid and Andrik escaped into a access tunnel she wasn't aware of and she rendezvoused with Balkar to get a location or at the very least something to get them back on the trail. It was discovered that someone was helping them planet side in order to get around undetected by the Hutt Cartel and the Republic. One trip to the arms factory in question that appeared to be supplying the traitors and they had their answer.

They were walking back to Balkar's 'shop' in the red light district, Aric had since resorted to shielding his eyes against the glare of the bright neon holoads since they hurt so bad. She couldn't blame him either, they were also starting to give her a headache. The dark pit that was Balkar's business was a welcome relief as they slipped into the side room. 

"Hey you're back, was that fun or was that fun?" Balkar said with a wide grin.

Aric nodded in approval. "You definitely picked the right squad for the job. This was right up the lieutenant's alley" 

She couldn't help but raise a silent eyebrow at her companion as Balkar responded. "Oh I know, I wasn't the only one impressed by your moves. There's a reason I'd like to get all of this boring 'save the Republic' business out of the way with quickly....if you're up to something later" He added suggestively.

Kass opened her mouth to respond but Aric beat her to the punch. "Get your priorities straight Balkar or I'll straighten them out for you" He growled in warning. The result was her blinking in silent amusement as he caught himself and noticed her lip was quirked upwards in the first actual smile he'd seen since arriving on this planet. "What? Am I really the only one focusing about the mission here?!"

"Okay then." She responded as she turned back to Balkar, the professional face back on. "Back to business if you would."

"Agreed, I'd much rather discuss violence against people who aren't me." Balkar conceded as he brought the conversation back on point. "The alarm signal led to a very interesting place: a penthouse at the Club Vertica Casino. Our slicers took a crack at the penthouse and found all Imperial tech...Our droid's Republic but it would seem the Imps are the ones giving the orders. And it would also seem that the Imperial expense accounts are much more generous than ours." He grumbled quietly.

Her face turned grim at that turn of events. "Are you one hundred percent positive it's in Club Vertica?"

Balkar looked confused. "Positive. Why? There a problem?"

Sighing hard, Kass folded her arms. "Yeah, a big one. That's the one place I can't enter, even under a assumed name thanks to a past scuffle with Godoba."

"Ouch, what'd you that pissed him off so bad?"

"Sparked off a brawl that completely trashed the casino, in any case I'm barred."

The SIS agent ran a hand through his hair in irritation. "Well this throws a wrench in the works...and I can't leave without giving my own identity away...." Scratching his chin, Balkar took a moment to try and think up a solution. "I may have something that can work out it's just going to take a moment for me to track the guy down. Maylin, see if you can get a hold of Fabian for me and have him meet Niall and the sergeant at the lower industrial section. Explain the circumstances as well please."

"Right away sir." The petite Mirialan responded and set off for the nearest terminal as Balkar forwarded on the coordinates to the location they needed and Kass walked Aric out to the door.

"Sorry for all this mess" She apologised which made him blink.

"It's alright it's not your fault...well it kind of is but you know..." Aric fumbled and the amused smile reappeared on her face. "Look we'll just make do with the situation as much as we can, alright?"

"Fair enough...oh and Jorgan?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not interested in Balkar so you can relax a little." She said as her amused smile grew to a large grin while Aric sputtered.

"I-I'm not... I mean...I...I!" Quickly he backed away as heat rose fast up the back of his neck and he made his escape to the skytaxi, striding as widely as possible to get out of there.

Balkar poked his head around the doorway and noticed Kass's expression turn sad. "You okay?"

She looked surprised. "Huh? Yeah just distracted was all. Sorry to be a pain in the ass with everything, was hoping it'd be any other place."

Shaking his head he gestured back into the side room as his slicers worked on hooking into the camera network for both Club Vertica and the substation they needed while Kass sat in the background feeling somewhat useless and concerned on sending in Aric alone. At some point the main terminal's screen flickered into life and Kass immediately got up to see the details for herself. A man in a blue singlet dual wielding blaster pistols was opening fire on a group of guards that'd entered the room, suddenly he launched into the air in some kind of death from above attack. It was so stereotypical of Mandalorians that she raised a eyebrow at the sight and glanced over at Balkar.

"Yes he's a Mandalorian, one of the few we have working for the SIS. He helps out with more of the grunt style work rather than slicing or what have you." He elaborated, watching over the fight carefully. 

Kass turned back to the screen, Jorgan was working well with the man in protecting Niall though he was getting snappy with how the man was taking too long as more enemies showed up. "How'd you manage to convince the guy?"

"Well I didn't, my predecessor did. Apparently he was involved as a teen in  the Great Hunt but got kicked out of the game fairly early when one of the other contenders pulled his target out from under him and somehow convinced their Hunt Master that he was dead to boot. He ran into my predecessor and made a deal that he'd help us out on condition we helped him and didn't ask him to spy on Mandalore or his clan, so he's been with us ever since but he still has to let us know if he's hopping over to Dromund Kaas."

She'd gotten distracted by the story and the terminal changed to Aric and Fabian walking into Club Vertica, she was watching it so intently that Balkar clearing his throat made her jump. "Something I've been meaning to ask you, remember how you ran into those guys at the vault?" He asked quietly, his voice low to ensure they weren't overheard.

"Yessss?" She responded.

"I did some browsing while you were out, didn't find them associated with any Imperial database but I found them among our own soldiers. Funny huh?" He narrowed his eyes at her, observing her reaction closely.

"heh...yeah funny." Kass said absently, focused intently on the screen. The Imperials in the penthouse had pulled out weapons and were pointing them at Aric and Fabian. "Fucking...I'm going in."

"Wait what? Stop!" Balkar yelled but it was too late, she was already gone.

* * *

"He'll betray you just as he betrayed the Republic..." Aric reasoned as Zandrik looked around in indecision.

"You're right, Andrik isn't worth the Empire resources that protect him. You'll find him and the droid deep within Shadow Town district, they're trying to unlock the droid's full potential." He said, keeping watch over the Republic soldier before him. "That droid is capable of far more than your scientists ever thought possible. Once that core's fully charged M1-4X will have weapons and shields more powerful than any other droid created. You'll be too late to stop the droid but if you kill Andrik...then that's good enough for me."

Rather than respond Aric nodded his thanks and walked back into the elevator as his holocom sounded, revealing a urgent Balkar on the line. "Jorgan, heads up that one of the Imperials in there pressed a security alarm and your CO is on her way."

"Wait, what?! I thought she wasn't allowed to come here?" Aric growled into the line as Fabian twiddled his thumbs in the background.

Balkar sighed in irritation. "She moved before I could say anything. Be careful, Godoba isn't a Hutt to be trifled with." he said as he closed the line.

"Well this is going to be interesting..." Fabian muttered as the doors opened and they found themselves face to face with the raised weapons of Cartel Security. One of them gestured in silence for them to exit and they both raised their hands without fuss as they were escorted to the casino floor.

"Oh c'mon! Can't a lady have a drink?!" A all too familiar voice slurred out near the entrance.

Aric looked over and noticed Kass leaning heavily against the doorframe as she waved a hand at one of the guards as though she was about to hit him. 

"You can't be here Ithesda, Godoba's orders. He already knows you're here and he's on his way." The bouncer growled as their own guards looked at one another, deciding that the person on the block list was the priority and moving over to back the bouncer up. 

Kass caught Aric's eye and gestured toward the door, masking it in a large stretch. "Awww pretty please? Just one drink and I'll go, promise!" She said, stumbling close to the bouncer which caused the other guards to raise their weapons as Aric and Fabian snuck by the crowd as she kept them distracted, gradually getting more and more loud.

"Last warning Ithesda..." The bouncer growled and Kass pouted.

"Fiiiine, you're no fun." She slurred and stumbled back out the casino, following her subordinate.

* * *

By the end of the day, Kass felt completely exhausted. Forex was recovered and had now joined them as a crew member, Balkar was officially pissed at her for dodging around his questions on the former Havoc Squad's involvement in the disaster and Aric was avoiding her for unknown reasons. Any form of conversation they had that was outside of work quickly died so here she was, sitting in the briefing room and stabbing at rations with a fork until she jumped in fright when a container appeared in front of her.

Looking up she saw a pair of green eyes watching her before they flicked to the thermos which she opened and cautiously smelled. The strong scent of chocolate filled the air and she blinked in surprise. "You do realise you're just fueling my chocolate addiction here right?"

He shrugged. "It's a gesture of thanks....for bailing me out earlier. Though I still think it was stupid and reckless for you to stick your neck out like that again."

She blinked at that and took a sip, it was extra sweet. Just the way she liked it. "I do it because I care for the people under me...err my subordinates. Seen plenty of people who didn't, soldiers were just a number to them." Aric tilted his head as he mulled it over. It was true, he had known people who'd had the same mindset. "Thanks for looking into that corrupt officer for me on Ord Mantell by the way..." She said quietly.

"No problem, it was the least I could do really...well that and people like that disgust me, attitudes like that doesn't make the Republic look good and causes the people who we're supposed to protect lose faith in us." He growled, remembering the brat who she was talking about. After they'd left Ord Mantell she'd pulled him off to the side and asked him as a personal favor to look into the corruption in the officer ranks of Fort Garnik after a grunt had pulled her aside on the final journey back into the place. The Zabrak in question had of course denied any involvement, but once the whistle was blown a whole network of bribes and murder spilled forth. Last he heard General Vander was going on a complete purge of his operations personnel, a process that would take months to complete.

Kass looked up and met his gaze. "No seriously, I'm extremely grateful for it."

Heat rose back up his neck once more as their earlier conversation popped into his head.  _"No I'm not interested in Balkar"_ the words kept repeating themselves in his head and for some reason he felt relieved but he didn't understand why. Quickly he dropped her gaze and focused on her hands instead as they warmed themselves on the thermos. "So what's the next step?"

"Provided no emergencies pop up we're off to Taris next" She responded before adding "There's also something I need to do, hopefully it won't impact too much on the mission."

"On Taris?"

"Yeah, I've been asked to talk with Governor Saresh about a job she needed done. Like I said though, hopefully it won't impact too much."

Aric frowned but shrugged. "Alright, I'm going to turn in to get some shut eye. Do you want me to set the autopilot before I go?" he asked, gesturing with his thumb to the cockpit. Kass just simply nodded and he took his leave, setting the coordinates and overseeing the jump to hyperspace before going to bed for the night.

 

 

 

 


	14. Hidden Thoughts

A quiet swooshing sound disturbed Aric from his sleep and he rolled over with a groan to check a small holo he'd set up to display the time. 4:37am Coruscant Standard apparently, wayyy too early in the morning for his liking. The swooshing sound continued unabated, forcing him to roll out from his bunk and go see what was causing it.

Kass's door was open and he peeked in to see if she was inside, The room was completely empty aside from her armor strewn around everywhere and her sheets in a mess, as though she'd spent the night tossing and turning far more than actually sleeping.

Frowning slightly he followed the sound until he reached the cargo bay and finally found the lieutenant running through a rotation of attacks with a wooden training staff. She'd been at this for quite some time judging by how her sports top clung to her curves and her skin shone with sweat in the low lighting, but still she kept pressing on.

Her moves...and body prodded at his memory and almost brought something to light but she turned around and noticed him which dispelled his train of thought. "Sorry, was I too loud?" Kass asked, keeping her voice low despite the fact there wasn't any need to.

Forex and Seeto were currently in a kind of hibernation mode of sorts, especially considering the latter had a problem of changing things as the living and breathing members of the crew slept. It was something that Kass had found both annoying and on multiple levels creepy, especially when it came to her personal belongings being shifted around. She'd threatened to turn the droid into scrap if he ever did it again and the threat seemed to have worked effectively enough that he now kept a wide berth of her door as he moved around the ship on occasion.

"No. Just the annoyingly sensitive hearing kicked in again." Aric responded as he yawned. "Why're you up so early? We're not reaching Taris for another twelve hours and shift doesn't start for two."

Kass rested on her staff and pushed her bangs from her eyes. "Force of habit when I can't sleep. Doesn't help when yo-....someone I used to know dragged me out at five in the morning for runs. Four if he was feeling particularly evil."

Her correcting herself mid sentence was unusual and he raised a brow at that.  _'Wait...is that saying she knows something?'_ He thought to himself but was distracted once again when she pointed her staff at him. "What's that for?"

"I challenge you to a duel...okay just a spar. I think I might've gotten rusty and doing this with someone else might bring me back up to speed a bit." She said, leaning on her staff again as he folded his arms.

"You wake me up with your noise and then ask me to fight you? Do I get anything out of this?"

Kass teasingly grinned and her eyes seemed to light up in genuine amusement. "If you can think up some kind of reward you want then I'm game... Provided your old bones can keep up"

He stared at her for a moment before rolling his eyes and walking to the weapons locker, quickly grabbing a staff from it. "Alright, I'll be holding you to it. What do you get if you win however?" he asked as he took position opposite her.

"The satisfaction of seeing your butt whupped by yours truly." She responded, still grinning away as she watching him before entering a ready stance.

He didn't bother giving her a response to that as he did the same. There was a long silence as they sized each other up, waiting to see who would make the first move before the tension snapped and he launched into the attack, aiming a thrust at her head. Quickly she moved her head out of the way, just shy of him grazing her cheek while her staff went to hit his side in a swing while it was unprotected.

Aric had no choice but to take the blow that stung like hell despite the fact it was just a simple hunk of polished wood they were fighting with. He shifted into a complicated set of swings and thrusts that had Kass on her toes as she fought to either block or dodge them before they came in contact with her body.

He pressed on with his attack, keeping her on the ropes as much as possible. During one particularly hard thrust that he threw his weight behind, she sidestepped out of the way and hit the back of his knee which caused it to bend and send him keeling to the floor.

Looking up as she sent down another blow, he only just managed to block it before he raised himself again. Aric couldn't help but be impressed, considering she should've been a hell of a lot more tired than what he was. But instead Kass was managing out her energy nicely and only putting out hard blows when she was on the full attack.

They clashed again and again, almost seeming to read one another, knowing what the other would do or how they would move. Kass conserved energy, waiting until she had a clear shot then slipped past his attack for effective hits to his joints. Aric preferred the more frontal approach and kept up a solid attack that had Kass backpedaling.

Eventually they both grew tired. Attacks were growing more sloppy along with their blocks and Aric unintentionally put too much force into a thrust that Kass couldn't block in time, causing her head to snap back. "Oh shit! Sir?!" Aric shouted as she stumbled back, dropping her staff with a  loud clatter as she clutched at her nose.

"Son of a=!!" Kass growled out in pain, lowering her head down since she could taste metal in her mouth. Blood dripped thickly from her nose and she heard Aric curse again before a warm hand pushed on her back.

"Come on, let's get you to medbay." He said urgently, leaving the staves on the floor as he escorted her back to the middle of the ship. Guilt ate at him for hurting her as he gently led her to medbay and hunted around for a cold pack or something to help her nose and stop the bleeding. Something in his memory stirred and he found himself slipping away to another time and place.

* * *

 

Kass dabbed at his face with gauze covered in some kind of solution that stung like hell. "Stop fidgeting! I didn't ask you to get involved!" She growled angrily as she changed the soiled gauze for a fresh one and returned to dabbing at his face.

"But you're a...-"

"If you even dare say 'woman' I'm going to dump that alcohol solution on your head and you know how much that shit hurts. I could've handled Raani's crap myself and besides you know he was doing it to rile you up anyway." She growled disapprovingly as she held the gauze against his left brow.

Aric fell silent for a moment, shame slamming him hard. They had been practicing sword arts in class, preparation in case they ran into any Sith, melee forces or heavens for forbid rogue Jedi. Unfortunately he and Kass had been split up with different partners, he'd been set up with some rake thin recruit who looked barely old enough to be out of school while she'd been paired with a large burly Cathar named Raani who'd had a bone to pick with him since day one.

Thankfully Kass was able to hold her own but problems started arising when the teacher's back was turned and Raani started cheating. Tripping her up and deliberately aiming low on her body to name a few of the problems.

In the days since the first lesson he'd asked on their breaks together if she was okay, if she hurt badly since the wooden training swords could hurt like hell. Kass had simply smiled and said she was fine but it wasn't meeting her eyes.

His temper rose as time went on and each time Raani looked at him with that disgusting smug grin of his until things finally reached breaking point and he hit Kass with such force in the head that she was knocked out for several minutes. Rage overcame him and he carried Kass to the infirmary in his arms, much to her extreme embarrassment as she came to on the way, and waited on the lunch break to be called.

From there it was chaos when he confronted the guy, claws extended and things devolved very quickly into a massive brawl on one of the ball courts which involved a further twenty people besides himself and Raani. Kass, who had been passing by on the way to her dorm since being released, busted him in the center completely enraged and grabbed a instructor to break up the fight. She waited with her arms folded as punishment was doled out and promptly hauled him off by the arm to the infirmary which now led them to their current situation.

"I just...wanted to..." He mumbled, trying to figure out some way of explaining himself to her as she continued cleaning up his wounds.

Her grey eyes met his own and she stared silently into them for a time. "I'd ask for help if I needed it." She said simply and that statement quickly got him annoyed again.  
  


"For crying out loud, he sent you to the freaking medbay! When were you going to stick up for yourself or even ask for help? Or are you just content being his punching bag?!" He snapped, watching her expression change from annoyed to downright furious.

"And why the hell are you making a big deal out of it?! What I do is my business" She snapped back as she glared savagely.

"Because maybe I don't like seeing someone I care about being beaten black and blue!" He found himself snarling as Kass blinked in surprise.

"Wait...what? What do you mean by that?"

"I mean this." He growled as his arm automatically wrapped around her waist and pulled her close against his body. Alarm bells started ringing in his mind as his head descended and he kissed her hard.  _'Too fast! You're going to scare her off you idiot and you have no idea if she's interested!!'_ his mind screamed but he ignored it. All he knew was her lips were soft and it wasn't all that much longer before her own arms wrapped around his neck and she kissed back just as hard.

Kass's tongue teased at his lips and he opened his mouth to grant her access, a more quiet growl sounding from deep in his chest as she took the lead from him. She was just...amazing and he felt himself respond to her gentle touches as they slowed down from bruising force to something a lot more tender.

She nibbled on his lip, ran her tongue over his teeth and fangs, tasted his tongue. It was sloppy, tasted too strongly of some kind of fruit that was from the chapstick that she war but it still made his heart pound and other things in his body react.

Slowly they pulled away, panting as she rested her forehead against his own with their arms still around one another in a close embrace and for once he was completely speechless. Both at his own reaction but also at how she'd responded. "Sorry..." He found himself mumbling as he gazed in her eyes nervously. "I...I won't do that again."

Kass shook her head against his forehead, the result seeming more like a comforting nuzzle. "How long have you been hiding that?"

"A few months..." Aric admitted, feeling a lot better for it but still nervous as hell. "Took me a while after the announcement of the Sacking and getting to know you for me to figure it out. I like you...a lot. But I'll also understand if you want something closer to home than me."

She made a 'heh' sound as she pulled back slightly. "To be honest I actually had no idea until after you carried me off bridal style then I had a hunch something was up. I..." Pausing slightly, he watched as her brows knotted in thought. "Aric...I'm still not really sure what to make of this...but I'm willing to give it a shot so long as we keep this just between us. Absolutely no one else must know alright?" She asked seriously.

"That implying you've been having...thoughts?" Aric asked, amusement colouring his tone.

Her lip curled upward in a smirk. "Maybe. Not something that I'll admit to, wouldn't want your ego to inflate itself more than what it already is." Kass paused again in thought. "Hang on...I just said another one of those unintentional innuendos again didn't I?"

That caused him to laugh quietly, a nice rich sound that made her grin widely in return despite her slight embarrassment. "Yes, but that's okay. Alright...we'll take it slow and see what happens." He said, beaming from ear to ear.

* * *

 

"Aric?" asked a quiet voice, snapping him out of his daydream as he turned to the woman behind him and just stared. Same dark red hair, same grey eyes, same freckles... he stared and stared and stared until his hand grew too cold then that snapped him out of it. Quickly he gave her the cold pack, their fingers touching slightly which caused some kind of zap of electricity to run up his arm. Startled he jumped back and Kass just watched in confusion at his sudden change. "Aric? You sure you're okay?"

"I...ahem... yeah. How's the nose?" He responded, mentally kicking himself as his voice got more gravelly than usual.

Kass removed her fingers from around her nose and felt the blood, it was still hot and sticky to the touch and she placed the cold pack where the developing swelling was beginning. "Still bleeding... look I need help here. Can you...?"

He blinked for a moment before nodding and grabbing a set of gloves to cover his hands, raiding the med supplies while he was at it. He joined her on the medbay bed once the gloves were on and cautiously turned her face to him. This time the zap had dulled itself down to a minor tingling from the warmth of her bare skin. Yep he could manage with this as he started carefully cleaning her face. 

There was a long awkward silence until Kass cleared her throat. "Guess you won the spar, any idea what you want?"

"I'll need to get back to you on that. Unless..." He hesitated, the memory still lingering fresh in his mind and it was throwing him off. Particularly the kissing part.

"Unless what?" She prodded, carefully poking him in the arm with her free hand and looking surprised when he jumped.

"There's a cantina on Ord Mantell, nice place and has decent drinks maybe when we get some spare time we could go there. Talk. Provided the place isn't a crater by now." 

Kass raised a brow feeling confused but found herself warming to the idea...maybe a little too much, didn't help she was finding his nervous behaviour oddly adorable. "You aren't suddenly thinking about leaving Havoc or something are you?"

"What?! No! Fact is I've been hitting the Imps harder in Havoc Squad, something I never could do on Ord Mantell." He responded firmly as he finished cleaning up her nose and face. "I never enlisted for the medals or promotions, I enlisted in the first place to serve the Republic and prove that my people have a place here. Though...originally that wasn't always the case."

"What happened?"

"Lets just say I was a extremely angry kid. Angry at the Mandalorians, angry at the Empire. Wanted revenge more than anything else and to completely obliterate the Empire for good."

"Not that hard to see you all angry, not THAT angry" She quickly said when he glared at her as he calmed down from his earlier change. "What changed your mind?"

Aric pulled off the gloves after testing for fresh blood and simply handed her a damp piece of gauze so she could clean the rest herself. "That I'm still piecing together. Anyway, I'll elaborate more over those drinks."

"It's a date then" She replied, causing Aric to grow nervous again.

"It's just a cantina visit...sir" He said quickly as he threw the gloves and bloody gauze in a biohazard bin. "I'm going to go shower first before we go on duty if that's alright with you?"

Kass nodded in silence and suddenly he shot out of the room like she'd set his fur on fire. Confusion filled her again at his reaction and she slipped into deep thought while waiting on the shower to be free. 


	15. Saresh

She'd had the initial meeting with her contact, a certain Colonel Gaff, who was quite insistent that there wasn't a problem on Taris despite his own subordinate stating otherwise when she came up with the reports that several patrols had gone missing. Kass had raised a eyebrow at the man but he quickly waved her off and stalked to his so called 'duties'. She wasn't impressed and she could almost feel Aric seething behind her at the superior officer's blatant disregard for orders given to him from the general. Sergeant Dorne was quick to identify herself and give the specifics of just what was going on on the planet. Missing patrols, no word or contact or beacon even. It was as though they'd simply vanished off the face of the planet. The situation was certainly unusual but she wasn't sure how it would tie into the missing Havoc team just yet

Kass slapped at another bloodbug that was taking its meal from her neck as she walked up the steps to the governor's office which she was told where Saresh would be most likely located. She'd wanted to do this alone without any of her crew having her back so she'd ordered Aric to get his vaccinations so they wouldn't have any issues with the rakghoul virus when they eventually headed out into the wilderness later. It wasn't as though she enjoyed keeping these secrets from him, but she didn't know what else to do right now other than to keep her head down and wait.

A receptionist gestured toward a office nearby and Kass silently entered. A green Twi'lek was looking over some datapads and looked up as she entered the room. She had a air of noble authority around her and Kass unconsciously found herself standing straighter as she approached the desk. "Ah, you must be Ithesda. Your father informed me that you would be stopping in to see me." Saresh said.

"Yes ma'am..." Kass responded. "He said that you had a job for me?"

Saresh nodded and placed the datapad on the desk. "Yes, I do. There's a job I need done out in the Taris swamps that will fit your particular set of skills. We're attempting to expand the colony out into the swamps but the rakghoul population is making the job difficult. We've managed to take down the location of various nests that need to be handled and sealed off but we just don't have the man power needed to take them out."

Kass blankly stared at the other woman. "My...father signed me up for pest control?"

"I wouldn't put it that way exactly. The specific wording was "Kassela will help you in your reclamation of Taris"." Saresh responded as she folded her arms. "Something he assured me I'd have your complete support on."

A urge to twitch suddenly arose but somehow she managed to hold it back. "Fine. But I need to get my other task on this planet done first, Governor. Then I'll be able to complete your job for you."

Saresh just folded her arms. "No, you'll handle my task first lieutenant. There's no debate on this, lives are at stake here." She said, the tone in her voice clearly stating that there was no room for argument.

Irritation and annoyance built but she kept her town civil somehow as she agreed and cursed herself as she left the room. There was a niggling feeling in her gut that something was up, that this wasn't all that it was meant to be. But without evidence she couldn't do much but be a pawn to the machine she was caught in thanks to her family. Sighing to herself she walked to the Olaris mess hall and just sat in the corner on her own to stew in her temper. It wasn't until a shadow fell across the table that she looked up into a pair of equally annoyed green eyes.

"So...enjoy your meeting then, sir?" Aric growled as he took a seat across the table from his CO.

"If you count enjoying as having the strong desire to repeatedly bang your head against a wall? then sure! everything went juuust fiiiiine" She said sarcastically.

Aric raised a eyebrow at Kass's tone. "Anything I should know?"

"Saresh has...borrowed our services to aid in her reclamation. I can't do anything to wiggle out of it and she wants it handled first." 

There was silence for a moment. "Seriously? Can you at least talk to Garza about this? Finding the Havoc traitors should be more important than whatever that politican wanted."

Kass shook her head. "It goes over even her head. If you're with me though I'm going to see if I can kill two birds with one stone on this. It just involves some minor explosives and we should be golden." She said and then finally noticed that her companion was scratching rather roughly at his arm. "You okay there?"

"Just a reaction to the vaccine. Should be fine in a while" Aric said as he shook out the offending limb. "Not going to let a itch stop me from dragging Tavus's rear in for justice."

That brought a small smile to her face as she stood up. "At least I can count on you for watching my back then." Kass said quietly as she gestured for him to follow.

For the tiniest moment Aric was tempted to say something about her back being particularly interesting but quickly stopped himself before his traitorous tongue got him in trouble. He followed Kass in silence as she returned to the medbay and got vaccinated herself before they started their walk into the wilderness. The memories of their shared past were slowly coming back to him but he didn't want to do or say anything until he figured out just why he forgot something so important in the first place. On top of that, he wasn't sure if she remembered or even knew herself. There had been no hinting on her part, no questions...maybe such things were best left forgotten for a reason.

* * *

 

Saresh activated a holochannel back to Coruscant and was greeted by the sight of Nolan staring straight back at her. "Ah, Nolan. Good to see you again" She said with a warm smile.

Nolan nodded. "Did she arrive?"

"Yes she did and was mildly unimpressed with the job, but she did as she was told." Saresh responded as Nolan folded his arms.

"My apologies, Saresh. I was sure she was raised better than that. She's not supposed to question orders, just follow them." He said, his voice neutral but his gaze had turned colder. "Regardless, she will get the job done and you'll get that recognition that you need."

A large grin spread across Saresh's face. "Excellent. I thank you for this chance indeed, if all goes as it should then everything should move ahead according to plan..."

Nolan nodded. "Of course, with Kassela's aid that should help affirm your position and bring support to your project. From there it's all a matter of waiting and taking advantage of the opportunities that this alliance will open."

The grin fell from Saresh's face as she turned serious. "Just be sure that she obeys. We've gone too far than to have a rogue element destroy it all now."

"Don't worry. If she rebels then I will handle it but I don't believe she will. She knows full well what's at stake here." He responded calmly as Saresh nodded.

"Alright. I'll leave it to you, just remember to forward on those reports to me when the job is done." She responded before Nolan closed the line.

Yes...it wouldn't be too far now and the position would be hers. It was just a matter of waiting now...


	16. Chasing Down Needles

Kass huddled deeper into the small hole in some ancient wreckage that made up the hiding spot for the night the second some strange unknown creature made a loud roar somewhat close to their location. Instinctively she knew her companion's hand would be resting on his gun as he kept a wary watch in the event something or someone found them.

Taris in itself had many dangers that weren't just limited to the heat and exhaustive terrain. Rakghouls, pirates and any large number of wild animals also called this place home with them being warned that there was a very dangerous creature that wandered in a particularly large lake in the middle of Taris somewhere.

To pass the time and to keep the nerves under control for the both of them, Aric was telling her of some of the history of the planet. Kass found herself listening with interest, partly because she found the subject of history interesting and partly because she liked listening to the deep tones of his voice which also helped to distract from their current situation.

"-so the reason this whole place was destroyed was a sith named Malak was trying to kill then jedi padawan Bastila Shan and unknowingly Revan as well. According to reports the ship they both travelled on is buried in the swamp here somewhere." Aric said as he ducked his head quietly around the corner for a quick perimeter check.

Kass raised a eyebrow in amusement. "You know I never would peg you for a avid historian and here I thought all you were interested in was the Republic's newest weaponry that you get sent every now and again."

"Well you thought wrong-" Aric snorted as he returned to looking in her general direction. "-its always important to know one's history, both good and bad. Helps to prevent the same mistakes being made over and over again."

"And jedi history?"

He scratched his chin as he thought about how best to explain it. "Don't get me wrong, I think a lot of the Force guiding people or actively protecting people is a load of crap. Yet despite that they have a good rich battle history and have seen more in a few short years than most veteran soldiers would see in a life time."

Kass considered that and had to agree with him. "I never really thought about the whole Force thing. I don't think I really ever had time to since I was always having to do something else." 

Aric opened his mouth to say something further but he quickly shut it again as annoyance grew. For the past two days of swamp trecking he'd tried to ask his CO on just how much she remembered of her Academy days but for some reason every time he just clammed up instead as a dull ache appeared right under a old and deep scar on the side of his head.

Apparently during his officer training on Coruscant, just after graduating from Corellia, he'd fallen off a massive stack of crates and cracked the side of his head open. He couldn't remember the actual event and it had the unfortunate side effect of making things prior somewhat hazy at best, but according to a friend of his he'd been angry and distracted throughout the exercise which perplexed him.

Every now and again as they wandered around the place he remembered small things about Kass, soft tender smiles and small blushes, but the thoughts were quickly becoming bitter. He blamed it on his inability to speak up but he had the feeling that it wasn't entirely the whole truth and he was still missing something somewhere...

A pinging sound distracted him from his thoughts and he looked up to find Kass listening to the comm implant in her ear before she stretched.

"Thanks for the location Dorne. We'll be in contact soon with the details." She said before easing from the hole to stretch her limbs.

In the dawning light Aric took a moment to appreciate the woman who's curves were hidden somewhat under the bulk of her armor, at least until he felt things react then he quickly crawled from the hole and faced away to stretch as well and regain his head.

It wasn't until he felt a light tapping on his shoulder plate before he turned around to look at her once more and he found a pair of grey eyes watching him intently. 

"Ready to go?" Kass asked, frowning a little at his reaction.

Aric nodded and gestured to the wilderness behind her. "Lead on."

* * *

Kass was admittedly still irritated with the attitude of the ensign who they rescued earlier from the scavengers' prison. Sure he was grateful to be rescued but the second Dorne appeared he slipped into disgusted insubordination to a superior.

Despite Dorne's abrupt authority and orders she was actually a pleasant woman and willingly offered up information about her heritage though Kass had guessed already from the accent and strict adherence to protocol. She frowned deeply when the ensign made jabs to the sergeant in front of her and her tone turned harsh when she reprimanded him, reminding the ensign that a someone's heritage didn't make up who they were as a person.

For where Kass stood and saw things, Dorne had earned the role she was in now and proved her loyalties by the fact she was willing to come down here herself and retrieve the missing patrolmen. She found herself liking the sergeant and upon coming to Dorne's defence she was rewarded by a small tentative smile. They needed to work together to defeat the Empire, not go distrusting one another after all.

But she had the information they needed and immediately she and Aric took speeders from the nearest Republic outpost to the next one closest to their destination before jogging to the mission marker that Dorne had given them and slipping past the guards. It was a small installation which made Kass frown as she'd assume it'd be bigger.

There didn't appear to be any sign of Needles but there was a large number of Imperial droids and troopers that took a little time to thin out. Upon reaching the back Kass sighed as her suspicions were confirmed and she walked over to a terminal to try and extract information, hoping to maybe find something useful.

Aric made a noise to catch her attention and she turned swiftly, grabbing her blaster pistol from the holster on her hip and facing whatever adversary awaited.

The Imperial officer waved his hands in a surrender pose and looked over the patches of their armor. "I see you wearing a Havoc patch and looking up files...I'll assume you'll be after Needles then." He said softly which made Kass's eye twitch. Something was niggling at her, the man was way too calm with a small sly smile to boot.

"And what the hell do you want?" she growled, keeping her blaster aimed firmly at his head.

There was another smile before he responded. "Its simple actually. Let me live and I'll tell you everything. Kill me and you learn nothing."

There was a strong urge to roll her eyes at this matter of diplomacy but Dorne coming in on her comm distracted her. "Come in, Lieutenant. This is Sergeant Dorne. Do not trust this man! I...served with him in the Empire, his name is Thorus!"

Kass blinked as Thorus appeared startled then nervous as he heard the conversation. "W-what? Who is that? Dorne? D-D-Dorne, is that you?" he stuttered out, causing Kass to raise a eyebrow at his sudden change and she walked over to the nearby comtable to activate it.

When Dorn appeared with a scowl Kass could have sworn Thorus near wet himself in fright. "Thorus is a mass murderer, Lieutenant. A war criminal." She said, focusing her gaze squarely on her. "During my time in Imperial service, Thorus ordered the executions of hundreds of civilian non combatants and full scale bombings of unarmed populations. Furthermore these actions were commited in direct circumvention of direct orders from Imperial High Command."

"I-I am a soldier! I do what I must to achieve my objectives, just like you, Lieutenant!" Thorus spat back and slowly inched away. Behind her back, Kass did a small circle hand gesture to Aric and she noticed him move out of the corner of her eye until he took position behind the older man.

She scowled deeply. "I don't kill civilians you bastard." she snarled.

"Wait!" Thorus said, raising a hand in a surrender position as he dropped the weapon attached to his belt to the floor. "I can tell you everything! Needles is doing experiments on the rakghouls. He wants to understand their disease and turn it into a weapon!" he paused to take a quick breath before continuing. "He-He left here a few hours ago. He said he was visiting some 'friends' in the ruins of an old transport station to get more samples."

"I'm going to need a lot more detail here..."

"R-rakghouls. He needs more to continue his research. He won't say who his 'friends' are, but they supplied the rakghouls. That's...that's everything. That's all I know I swear." Thorus blurted out while Kass took it all in she felt eyes on her as they watched to see her reaction.

Kass debated for a brief time. "Jorgan, knock the bastard out. We'll take him into custody for attacks on Republic personnel and hiring the scavengers. Considering how well known he is he'd have done other things too." she said as Aric landed a heavy blow to the back of Thorus's head and she watched him crumple to the ground. "Dorne, arrange for a shuttle and armed escort. Hopefully this should ger Gaff's attention."

"Of course, sir. I'll see you back at the SAR office." She responded before the line cut out.

Aric looked on and scowled. "Why didn't you kill him? You heard for yourself he was a war criminal."

"Because it's not my duty or role to suddenly decide who I kill at the drop of a hat. He was unarmed and I won't sink to his level." Kass replied as she stared angrily back. "He'll rot in prison, death is far too easy a punishment for him." She said as she turned back and walked from the room leaving Aric alone to sigh in annoyance as he waited on the escort to arrive.

* * *

 

Kass got much the same reaction from Dorne as well while Colonel Gaff sputtered in the background while in a call with Saresh for letting things get this far on her watch. Reports would be made with his superior and it was quickly looking like he and his little clique would be removed from their posts and demoted. The tension in the air eased somewhat as Kass spoke with Dorne and there were more than a few shit eating grins on some of the personnel who were working in the vicinity.

"Lab results confirmed Thorus' account: Needles has almost completed a weaponized strain of the rakghoul disease. However the data makes no mention of Needles' 'friends' in the ruins of the transport system." Dorne said, drawing Kass's attention to her once more.

"Can't say I'm looking forward to meeting these people." Kass said with a small shudder at the memory of Needles and his...scientific detachment from human suffering.

"You said it. Dorant's as creepy as they come." Aric agreed before turning back to Dorne.

"Available intelligence doesn't show any populations in the ruins of the transport system, but then again scans of the area have been cursory at best." Dorne said with a frown.

"I take it the local wildlife has been a problem?" Kass probed as Dorne nodded.

"Rakghouls infest the area making the area inordinately difficult to scout by foot. However we believe we've found a traversable route."

Kass nodded. "I'll scout the area myself."

"Any geographical information you can bring back would be very helpful, Lieutenant. This ruined transport station is our only lead to Needles' location so I would encourage you to stock up on supplies and munitions before entering the area. Good luck." Dorne replied as Gaff appeared in the room all pale and sweating.

"Lieutenant...the governor wishes to speak with you...alone." He said through gritted teeth as he glared at her.

Kass raised a eyebrow and nodded to Aric. "Wait for me by the speeders after you grab the supplies. I shouldn't be too long." she said tiredly which caused Aric to raise a eyebrow. 

"You going to be okay?"

She waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it." She said before walking off, leaving him in a state of confusion at her change in mood. Something was bugging him about her change and her moods as of late. It was concerning to say the least and beginning to impact on the mission of tracking down Tavus and the rest of the traitors. For now he'd say nothing and observe but this couldn't last and he was determined to get to the bottom of the problem.

 

 


	17. Hidden Agendas

Sighing quietly, Kass walked into Saresh's office. The twi'lek was typing away at a terminal until she looked up at the new arrival into her office. "Ah, I see the hero of the hour has returned." She said while smiling broadly. "Finally work can continue into the expansion of the settlement, the Senate is proved wrong and we have a good foothold into the Empire's space." Kass raised a eyebrow as Saresh's eyes took on a strange gleam that almost seemed fanatical before it quickly faded into careful neutrality.

For the most part, Kass had kept away from news and the events involving anything political. After graduating a year later from the academy she'd been stuck in various battlezones on the Outer Rim in her early tours which luckily kept her on a complete news embargo until she was called back to base. Even then she ignored the news feeds every other week she'd returned with her team.

On one of the returns back, a year or so before she was summoned to assist and join Havoc Squad, one of the other grunts had a news feed running which featured Saresh in a public senate smackdown over something involving potentially breaking the Treaty of Coruscant. The woman was near shouting as she tried to get her point across to the senate that taking advantage of the ceasefire would prove instrumental into taking down the Empire for good. She remembered the chancellor of the time removing Saresh from the senate and the camera zooming in on her look of embarrassed rage as she was escorted out from the room.

Kass could guess that the sole reason why Saresh was here instead of in the senate again was to prevent her from rocking the proverbial boat with the Empire but...she didn't understand why her father allied himself with a near washed up senate member. "Enough with the games governor. Why am I here?"

Saresh blinked as she folded her hands across the desk. "Why lieutenant, frankly I'm offended that you think there's a alternate agenda here."

"Then give me an answer to my question." She growled.

"Since you insist...." Saresh replied softly. "Your father contacted me and asked if I could assist in helping get your name spread out there. Havoc Squad carries its own weight, here's no doubt about that but he wanted you to be a lot more than just some rank and file soldier in SpecForces."

Kass folded her arms as once again her father's influence reared it's ugly head. "That still doesn't explain why he sent me to you and not some other person."

"Because in the grand scheme of things, the Empire is rebuilding its forces and this so called 'Treaty' gives them the time they need to wipe us out completely. Your father and myself are the kind of people who prefer action rather sitting on our hands and waiting for them to roll over us. These actions here, though small are proof that if the Republic sets its mind to it, the impossible can be achieved." Saresh replied, a amall hint of that gleam returning in her eyes.

"In short, I'm just here to make you look good. That about right?" Kass asked flatly.

"In part." She conceeded before a ping on her terminal caught her attention. "Ah my next appointment has arrived but before you go I have further orders for you. Any jobs that come up from the RERC I want you to take, I'll give you authorisation so you can pick them up witthout difficulty or questions being asked. Grand Master Satele Shan will put out the calls."

Kass frowned, this was going to impact badly on her hunt for Tavus. "What about General Garza and High Command? I'm fairly sure they won't appreciate you hauling off soldiers at the drop of a hat."

Saresh clicked her tongue and waved a finger. "Don't worry about that. I'll ensure you won't get into trouble." she said with a broad smile as her next appointment arrived.

"Anything else?" Kass asked. Wanting to know everything so it wouldn't be sprung on her later.

"Just keep a eye on your mail. I may have other jobs for you in the future, now if you could please show yourself out? I need to discuss the expansion plans privately thank you." Saresh replied as Kass unfolded her arms and left the room seething with hidden rage.

At the moment she felt like a puppet on strings, dancing to whatever tune her father played and she hated it. But for the life of her she couldn't really understand the connection between him and Saresh, it was in direct contradiction to his usual stance on the matter considering he believed in keeping the status quo for now. Then again...how much did she really know or claim to understand about the man who was her father?

For the time being she resolved to keep Saresh at arms length in terms of this... 'arrangement', at least until she could figure out just what agenda she and her father had together. Then she could go from there.

Kass was so distracted in her thoughts that she didn't realise she was about to trip over a speeder until a rough hand grabbed her arm and hauled her back into tough body armor. She blinked and looked up to see Aric's familiar scowling in her view. "What are you doing?! You're about to injure yourself!" he growled.

"Sorry...I was just thinking about things."

Aric sighed and let her go when she'd fully balanced herself. "So I noticed. You also nearly walked into the droid patrol as you made your way over here. I take it your meeting with the governor didn't go well and that's why you're away with the stars."

"Of a sort." Kass responded as she shook her head to clear it. "Anyway. I want to go bag Needles before he catches wind that he's not going to recieve his latest shipment and runs."

"I'll agree with you there though we could always let him run and hope he leads us back to Tavus." Aric said with a note of hopefulness in his voice that made Kass crack a smile.

"Unfortunately it'd mean all the hard work Garza put in to tracking down this lead would go to waste and we wouldn't want that." She replied as walked to a speeder and climbed on it. "Now. Did you want to get your own or ride shotgun again?"

She could have sworn she saw a suggestive smirk on his face for a brief moment before he climbed on behind her and held her waist. "Its a waste of fuel anyway." He replied as she started the engine and set off for the underground transport station all the while a little too aware of the hard bulk sitting right behind her.

* * *

 

Kass was grateful for the existance of the rakghoul vaccines since the transport tunnels were absolutely swarming with the creatures that once attacked, leapt straight for the perpetrator's face in a massive clawed frenzy. Both her and her companion had to take turns hauling off the creatures before they did any lasting damage to the other but it was hard work and kind of like wrestling a pissed akk dog....that was also deadly and determined to kill with sharp claws and teeth.

Eventually they reached the location where Needles was supposidely hiding and they faced more normal foes that were Imperial soldiers so she knew they were headed in the right direction.

When reaching the top most level in the base Kass paused and knelt before looking around the corner just in time to see Needles stab a man with a injector. Her eyes widened as the man painfully morphed with screams of agony into a rakghoul but this one was different than the others. It didn't immediately attack Needles and stood similar to a second more reddish coloured rakghoul.

She looked to Aric who appeared sick before turning back to the scene as Needles started speaking. "Ah, exquisite. I will be requiring more rakghouls for my work Vorzoth." he said as he eyed over his creation with a disturbing eye.

The reddish rakghoul hissed and Kass's hand went to her gun and she pulled it over her shoulder and into a ready position as the...thing spoke. "We already gave you the rakghouls you asked for. When will you do as we asked?"

Needles tutted at Vorzoth. "Patience Vorzoth. As soon as the weapon is completed you'll have it, and with it we will decimate the Republic outpost." he said as Vorzoth made a loud hiss.

"I smell an intruder!"

Kass figured there was no point hiding any longer and she was grateful Aric was already prepared with his weapon as she stood up and slowly approached the group.

"And so you do." Needles said, sounding unsurprised. "Well well. Sergeant, is that really you?"

"I've moved up in the world since you last saw me Needles..." Kass growled, her eyes narrowing as she saw the cyborg smile.

"So I see. You've slaughtered enough Republic enemies to be rewarded for the task then. Well done." He blinked and looked at Aric who stood just behind Kass and smiled a little wider though it didn't meet his eye. "And I see you aren't alone... You've brought that pathetic worm all the way from Ord Mantell just to die along with you."

Kass's hackles rose at that and she glared back at him. "Talk all you want, Dorant. But you're not getting out of here alive." Aric retorted as his finger slipped over the trigger of his gun from its rested position.

"Oh but your timing is impeccable. Just as I find myself with plenty of pathogen but no more test subjects. Luckily you two showed just in time. The transformation will hurt at first but that's merely your organs rupturing and realigning. It's all over quickly I assure you."

"There's no way in fuck you're turning me into one of those things." Kass spat at him as her own finger slipped over the trigger. "I'd rather die first."

"Easily arranged! Vorzoth please assist me in subduing our newest vollunteer. I see she's not going to come quietly." Needles replied as he pulled out his gun and Vorzoth's head turned in their direction.

"With pleasure..." He hissed and pulled out his vibrosword as things decendes quickly into chaos when he and his new companion charged.

Needles covered them with a round of suppressive fire forcing both herself and Aric to split up to dodge the bolts of light. Vorzoth and his goon focused squarely on Kass while Needles worked on keeping Aric away.

Kass had to dodge both claws and the vibrosword before she could even begin to defend herself. She managed to fire off a incendiary round and spread it between the two rakghouls before she was forced to dodge the flaming opponents once more but she was having difficulty getting and keeping momentum and she didn't have anything that could really act as crowd control.

A sudden bold of light to her right caught her attention and the grey rakghoul fell to the floor dead and she risked a look to find Aric supporting her while hiding behind the back of a terminal for cover. Something in her chest swelled at the support and deciding to catch Needles by surprise she charged in, dodging around Vorzoth who she left to Aric to kill and focused squarely on her target.

The tactic worked and Needles was surprised at the force and ferocity of her attacks as he tried to keep up. Reaching at his belt he grabbed a gas bomb but Kass interrupted him with a blow that winded him severely and she took advantage of the small gap to quickly finish him off for good.

Kass sighed in relief as Aric walked over to a large machine behind her and looked over the contents. "Hmm. Looks like more samples of Needles' weaponosed rakghoul disease. What should we do with them?" He asked as Kass turned around to take a look.

"What's your opinion, Jorgan?" She asked curiously while trying to catch her breath from the intense fight.

Aric scratched his chin as he mulled it over. "Personally I think that it can't hurt to take a few samples back so Research Division can take a look at them. I'm sure they'd appreciate it." He said though he noticed the frown appear on. "But its up to you. I'll follow your lead no matter what you decide."

Kass smiled warmly at him. "Appreciate it. I was debating on it and I don't want this kind of information ending up in the wrong hands. Maybe I'm too old school but I prefer battles be won when one side outsmarts the other, not because of things like this." She said as she jerked her thumb at the cannisters before setting up the console so the virus would be destroyed.

"Its your call, Lieutenant." Aric said as he stood back though he was kind of distracted by her smile.

The console exploded a short moment later and Kass moved to wipe the complete set of data from the system. She wanted to be very thorough as bioweaponry always made her uncomfortable and deep down she felt that this was something that neither side should have. When she was done she straightened and relayed her location to Dorne to have a shuttle pick them up when they exited before turning to Aric. "Ready to go?"

He nodded. "I've had about all the fun I can take for one day in this place. I'll follow your lead."

* * *

She had to admit it was good to come back and see Dorne beaming with pride over a job well done. The sergeant informed her of a missed called with Garza so Kass walked over to the com terminal to return it.

"Ah, greetings lieutenant. I understand congratulations are in order." Garza greeted immediately.

"Tavis is looking to run out of friends fast at this rate." Kass replied as Garza nodded in agreement.

"You've done very well. Needles was a brilliant man and taking him down was no small feat. I haven't informed Kardan yet but I doubt he's be upset. He and Needles never did see eye to eye." 

"And somehow I'm not surprised. Needles was insane, I doubt anyone saw eye to eye with him." Kass responded as Garza shook her head.

"Yet Tavus never had any problem with him...perhaps that should have been my first warning that something else was going on." Garza said with a frown before her look changed to curiosity. "Tell me, what did you think of Sergeant Dorne?"

Kass looked over her shoulder back into the other room to ensure Dorne couldn't overhear. "She knows her regulations, that's for sure. But she's calm and professional despite everything going on over here."

"Yes....I heard about Colonel Gaff and his cover up but High Command will handle that soon enough. Regardless, I looked over Dorne's service record and it's impressive stuff I must say. Were you aware she served with the Imperial military for almost two years, Lieutenant?"

Kass nodded. "She told me of her own accord that she grew up in the Empire."

"Yes. The accent is a dead giveaway. Pure Dromund Kaas. Sergeant Dorne earned more commendations in her two years of Imperial service than most soldiers do in ten. Since joining the Republic, she's earned two Medals of Valor, both for rescuing wounded soldiers under fire in enemy territory. This woman has led an exceptional career." Garza replied which made Kass's brow raise in tired amusement.

"Why do I have the feeling you're probing me to see my opinion on Dorne?" Kass asked.

"Because that's exactly what I'm doing, Lieutenant. I think Dorne would make a excellent addition to Havoc Squad and I was curious to know your thoughts." Garza said with a amused tone.

"Then I think she'd make a good candidate. The fact she came down herself to retrieve the patrols from capture rather than remain in base to coordinate the retrieval from there. She's proven herself trustworthy in my opinion if to the point."

"Well then that's settled. Congratulations, Lieutenant. You're now half way to having a full squad. I'll contact Gaff's replacement to notify them about the transfer. You should go and inform Sergeant Dorne yourself, Lieutenant. Contact me from your ship for debrief when you're finished. Garza out." She said and the line cut quickly as Kass faintly chuckled. 

"Well then...Jorgan feel free to head back to the ship ahead of me. I'll be along shortly after I've given the news to Dorne."

Aric nodded. "Alright. I'll meet you back home then." He replied but paused as though he was going to say something else. Kass raised a eyebrow in his direction but he shook his head and left the room without another word.

Kass was left standing there confused but shrugged and walked back to Dorne who tilted her head in confusion. "Lieutenant, sir. Is there something else I can do for you?" she asked as Kass smiled.

"Yes. You can start by packing your gear. I've just been given the order that says you're being transfered to Havoc Squad. Congratulations."

Dorne blinked and her mouth moved but no words came out for a few seconds. "A transfer? Into Havoc Squad? I...Lieutenant...this....this is the greatest honor of my career. I'm speechless."

Kass chuckled at the reaction. "Don't get too excited now. Havoc Squad's run into its fair share of hurdles and is currently....less than top of the line."

Done shook her head before standing at attention and saluting. "Sergeant Dorne, reporting for duty, Lieutenant! I'll prepare my Regulation 6 Personal Transfer doccuments t once!"

It made a large grin appear across Kass's face to watch Dorne's reaction as she saluted back. "Assemble your kit and embark on my ship, double-time." She ordered.

Dorne nodded. "Lieutenant....thank you." she said before quickly hurrying off toward the barracks.

Kass took a moment to sigh and start the journey back to the ship when something caught her eye. A pony tail of white hair followed by a man with tied up dreadlocks made her stare then frown.

The white haired woman turned around as though looking for something and Kass's eyes widened as she realised she was staring straight at her missing twin, Rea-Lana Rage burned up inside her and she hung back behind the entrance until Rea had passed by then set out to follow her from a distance.

Rea and her companion walked toward the port and into a elevator which Kass quickly followed, pulling out her side arm in the process.

When the doors opened it was just the man waiting on the opposite side with his arms folded as he blinked in confusion in her direction. "Can I help you ma'am?"

"Where is she?" Kass snarled as she pointed her gun in his direction. "Where is Rea?"

The man blinked and squinted at her before his eyes widened and Kass felt something hit the back of her neck. Quickly whatever it was took effect and she crashed to the floor, fighting the urge to sleep. Dimly she could hear people talking and saw a boot enter her field of view.

"Y'know it wasn't necessary for you to do that. That's your own twin captain!"

"Shut up Corso and grab the rope. I want as much time as possible to be long gone from here." Rea growled back as she grunted and knelt on the floor, looking carefully into Kass's drowsy eyes. "Sorry sister. But I can't let you find me." she murmured sadly before Kass's whole world went black as she slipped into deep unconsiousness.

 


	18. Conflicting Goals

Aric was busy allocating weaponry and attaching Dorne into the ship's weapon registration system. She preferred using blaster pistols over full sized rifles as it made it easier for her to perform medical duties in the event someone became seriously injured mid mission. Truth be told it was probably for the best.

While Forex was equipped with specialised healing beams and he knew his way to a certain degree around kolto medpacks, it wasn't to the level of Dorne's knowledge and for some reason it annoyed him. Though the thought was disturbed by the sound of thumping against the main door.

Frowning he looked around the corner to find Dorne doing the same as Forex passed by to be at the ready in case of potential attack.

Aric was quick to follow him as the noise continued until he opened the door and the sight outside made his mouth fall open in shock. "What in the hells?!" he exclaimed at the sight of his commanding officer tied up and gagged on outside their front door looking absolutely furious. Around Kass's neck was a large placard with the words "Keep a better leash on your commanders. With love, the greatest smuggler in the galaxy. XX OO".

"I believe you should be rescuing the lieutenant from this embarrassing situation, sir." Forex pointed out which snapped Aric out of his mental blank and he was quick to grab a combat knife and get to work cutting his commander free.

When enough of the bonds loosened she pulled out the bit of cloth shoved in her mouth and let out a feral growl. "I'm going to fucking kill the nerfherder I swear."

"May I take the honor first, Lieutenant? It us completely unthinkable that someone would do such a thing to the commanding officer of Havoc Squad." Forex offered as he raised his gun.

Kass glared at him. "No, she's mine to shoot when I find her again." She snapped while ripping the placard to shreds. "How long was I out Jorgan?"

Aric checked the time quickly. "About four hours from when I left you. I should have realised sooner something was up when you didn't come back." He growled, feeling shame and a large dose of worry hit him square in the gut. "I take full responsibility for this."

He saw her wave a hand then wince. "Looks like a physical with Dorne's in order...this wasn't the way I wanted to make introductions." Kass sighed and took a few deep breaths to cool her temper. "Okay. Forex I appreciate the thought but with regards to this one I'll handle it personally. What was I supposed to be doing? ....oh that's right. Report in to Garza." She said as she pushed herself up from the floor, albeit a little shakily.

"You sure you're going to make it?" Aric asked, frowning as he noted a slight dazed look on her face that lingered after her anger had cooled off. "The general can afford to wait a bit longer. I'm more concerned about what the hell happened to you."

Kass waved a hand as she staggered her way to the main comtable while Aric and Forex followed. The latter wandered back to his usual position but Aric stuck around and folded his arms, keeping just out of sight of the sensor so he wouldn't be in the call as well.

"This is Kassela Ithesda reporting in for General Garza for mission debriefing." Kass said as Garza appeared with a scowl.

"Running a bit late are we, Lieutenant?" Garza immediately said as she looked down at Kass. "I had hoped you would only be a hour, not several."

"My apologies, General. I ran into a unexpected complication on the way back to the ship. It was taken care of swiftly I promise you." She responded as Aric raised a eyebrow.

Garza narrowed her eyes but otherwise said nothing as she looked her up and down. "I assume Sergeant Dorne took the news of her reassignment well."

"Sergeant Dorne is honored to be in Havoc Squad." Kass replied. "She was practically over the moon at the chance."

"Excellent. We'll have the squad fully restaffed in no time." Garza replied with a vague hint of pride before it faded. "One other detail. I read over some of the mission reports that Needles was weaponizing the rakghoul disease, were you able to obtain a sample?"

Kass shook her head. "I thought it best to destroy the weapon, General. Needles' work was horrifying and I saw it in action for myself."

Garza paused as her gaze hardened. "That was a foolish decision, Lieutenant. Those samples could have been invaluable for the war effort and I could have used the favors from Research Division."

"If its any consolation the Empire won't be getting their hands on the information either, General. I made sure of it by wiping every single trace of its existance but their next step was hitting the nearby Republic outpost, I doubt whether it would have been too much longer before they went for civilians." Kass defended herself as Garza rubbed the bridge of her nose in exhasperation.

"Ithesda, what did I tell you back on Coruscant? Rule with your head, not your heart. This is war, Lieutenant. Its not supposed to be pretty and the Empire will use every single thing it has at its advantage. They won't play fair so we must use every advantage we get as well. Small sacrifices must be made for the larger goal which is defeating the Empire for good. The sooner you realise that, the better Ithesda." Garza growled back before sighing. "You're a good soldier, one of the best I've seen but I won't hesitate to remove you if this keeps happening. I need someone who can follow orders to the letter and seize any advantage for the Republic that comes along. Understood?"

"...Yes, General." Kass responded quietly.

"Good. I'm glad we have a understanding. Garza out." The general replied before the com cut and Kass just stood there, her shoulders slumped before she walked unsteadily to the medbay where Dorne was located.

Aric could hear them talking from his postition but he zoned out of the conversation as he mulled over what he'd wittnessed between Garza and Kass. To a certain degree he was inclined to agree with Garza but also to a certain degree he was inclined to agree with Kass. The two women were great soldiers in the field but their morals were completely different from one another while still working toward the greater goal that was protecting the Republic.

He'd done research on Garza in the late evenings and found that the general wasn't without black marks on her record over various covert assaults, including Ando Prime. She was well known as a genius tactician and strategist despite her ruthless personality. 

Kass on the other hand was more patient and honorable. She believed firmly in not sinking to the same levels as her enemies by her reluctance to perform executions and destroying the experimental rakghoul weapon. Aric had to admit that he was beginning to admire that part of her and maybe, just maybe the war against the Empire could be won without the loss of the Republic's integrity and what it stood for.

His head jerked up when he noticed Dorne come out from medbay with a small frown. "What's the verdict sergeant?" he asked as Dorne faced him.

"The lieutenant should be fine given a good night's sleep. I found evidence of a strong tranquilizer in her system that wasn't Republic issue but she's refusing to give me the information pertaining as to what happened. She seems to think that I'll put it into the records...well technically I do according to code-" 

"Alright sergeant. I'll see if I can get a answer out of her after she's rested. You're absolutely sure she's just fine?" Aric asked which made Dorne raise a eyebrow.

"I can safely assure you the lieutenant is just fine. Aside from old bodily scarring, she's in the peak of physical health." Dorne replied as Aric nodded, his shoulders slumping in relief.

"Thank you sergeant. Appreciate it." He said somewhat curtly as Dorne pulled up a data pad.

"Actually technically you should be having a physical as well according to code 3497B of squad operations and inducting a new medical personnel. "According to past records you've skipped several annual physicals including the previous year's." Observed Dorne with a frown.

There was a loud snort coming from medbay and sudde ly Aric felt heat rising up the back of his neck. "I'll arrange one then....eventually. Anyway thank you sergeant, that'll be all." he replied quickly before essentially bolting from the area, much to Dorne's confustion.

"Why do people keep doing that?" Dorne wondered out loud as Kass chuckled from within medbay causing the former Imperial to enter the room.

"People don't generally like to be poked and prodded, Dorne, and physicals have a tendency to be rather embarrassing." Kass said tiredly as she sat up and pulled her undersuit back together. "Find how much weight you've gained in a year, maybe someone's become marginally shorter in comparison to last year, some man's magically become pregnant causing him to be the butt of future jokes etcetera etcetera."

"I would never joke about such things, sir." Dorne replied, sounding affronted. "Physicals are one of the most important ways to guage if someone is fit for combat or needs change in dietry requirements."

There was a silence as Kass watched Dorne as she grew slightly flustered before she smiled. "Relax Dorne. I was tormenting you a little."

"I...see..." Dorne replied before shaking her head as though to clear it. "If I may say so again, sir. It is truly a honor to be selected for Havoc Squad."

Kass raised a eyebrow at Dorne and smiled faintly at her. "Just keep in mind that being in Havoc Squad, we never know what we'll run into from one op to the next."

"Yes...the operation on Taris being a clear example of that." Dorne conceeded as she reached to assist Kass in pulling up the zip to her undersuit. "I intend to begin reviewing and memorizing all relevant dossiers and intelligence reports on our current assignment immediately. If I discover any points of confusion or areas where I believe I can contribute, I'll submit a full 587-B report."

Kass blinked slowly as she tried to wrap her head around the code and what it meant. "Uh...sure...the good old 587...sure thing Dorne." she replied, internally cringing at the idea of having to read it later. "Is that all?"

"Just make sure you have a decent night's rest, sir. That is all that you need." Dorne responded as Kass nodded, waved and walked to bed.

Sighing heavily, Kass had just enough energy remaining to change into her sleeping t-shirt and pants before crashing into bed near instantly falling asleep as the remains of the tranquilizer and exhaustion took hold.

* * *

 

A knocking noise disturbed Kass from her sleep and she rose feeling extremely groggy. After scrubbing her eyes she looked up to find her door open and Aric knocking at the side holding a tray. "Permission to enter, sir?"

Kass yawned hard. "Highly unorthodox Jorgan. Any reason why you're doing this rather than waiting until I'm actually up and in the briefing room?"

"I have hidden contraband from Seeto and I figured that you wouldn't be all that with it considering what went on yesterday." He replied, his voice low so he didn't attract attention of the others. "I can wait until you're ready if you don't want to talk here."

There was a silence that followed before Kass sighed and shrugged. "Dorne's awake already?"

Aric nodded. "But she's busy typing a report so I suspect she'll be quite some time. Forex is doing...something. Not sure what but he's doing some kind of research."

Kass considered that for a time before shrugging again. "Can you give me five minutes to change into something that's not my pajamas?" she asked.

"Sure." Aric said as he ducked back out and the door closed behind him.

Kass sighed and grabbed for clean clothes while making her bed. When she was done she opened the door and surprised Aric just outside. "Hey, I'm done. Get in before someone notices and raises questions." she said, taking the tray from Aric's hands and reentering her room to sit on the edge of her bed. She blinked at the toast, albeit slightly burned and the glass of milk. A feeling of nostalgia swept over her but she snapped out of it when she heard the door close behind Aric as he entered. "So..."

"So..." Aric replied as he leant against the wall near the door. "Who'd you piss off to leave you tied up on our doorstep?"

"After I finished talking to Saresh saw my twin...tried to follow her but she surprised me and tranqed my ass before I could really confront her." Kass explained as she grumpily took a bite of toast.

Aric raised a brow. "Sounds like a grudge more like a simple confrontation." He observed, watching her reaction.

"We...haven't gotten along for years. On the rare occasions we've run into each other she's usually gotten the drop on me in one form or another. The tranqing was tame...though I think the worst was when she threw some kind of glitter bomb on me. Took weeks to get the crap out and just when I thought I got it all I'd find some stray bits in my armor or clothes." Kass replied with a shudder as Aric quietly laughed.

"Sounds like normal every day sibling fights to me. Just a bit more hardcore than normal." His tone was amused as he spoke and Kass found herself relaxing somewhat to the deep comforting tones.

"Our family's never been...close. Lot of expectations and a lot of pressure...among other things. Rea didn't want all that so she ran away and promised to take me with her." Kass's voice got quiet as she sorted through the memories with a almost clinical detachment. It was about the only way she could hide how much it truly bothered her from her companion. "But on the night we were due to run she betrayed me so I got caught and never came back. So I was forced to take her place instead. She never offered a apology or any kind of explanation as to why she did what she did..."

Aric shifted to sit next to her on the edge of the bed. "I'm sure she had a reason. Siblings don't pull that kind of thing without a reason unless she truly didn't care, particularly if you have good memories of her when you were kids. Hell knows, my litter mate and I used to be at each other's throats when we were younger but I can't imagine him betraying me without a damn good reason."

A small smile appeared on Kass's face as she imagined a much younger version of Aric with another just like him having a playful sibling brawl. "Thanks. I needed that." She said as she looked at him. "Though don't be surprised if I slug her one in the face when we next meet. I owe her that much."

The cathar chuckled. "Sure. For the glitter bomb of course." He replied as he looked back. "Those things are like the most ultimate form of hell."

Kass nodded but she found herself staring a bit too intently into his eyes. "Thanks for coming in though. I feel a lot better now." She murmured, barely paying attention to Aric's vague noise of agreement as his gaze dipped to her lips before they slowly leaned toward one another.

Their noses almost touched when a dinging sound over the internal com broke the moment and startled Kass to the point she dropped the glass from her tray and it broke on the metal floor.

Aric and Kass shifted away from one another, Kass's cheeks flaming and the back of Aric's neck feeling hotter than normal as he cleared his throat. 

"Uh...um...ahem..." Kass stammered out before getting up and skirting around the broken glass on the floor and pressing a button to activate the com. "Yes?" she asked, her voice a higher pitch than normal.

"I thought I would inform you thay you have just recieved a message from the RERC that is marked as urgent." Came Dorne's voice and Kass sighed. 

"Alright sergeant I'll look at it immediately." Kass responded, trying to bring her voice back to normal and slow her speeding heart rate.

"Affirmative, Lieutenant." Dorne responded before Kass closed the com and turned back to Aric. He was now standing and looking at anything else around the room but at her. "You should probably go now...before Dorne comes out and asks questions. Yes..." She said quickly. 

"Um...right...uh. i'll just...you know go." Aric agreed and opened the door, promptly smacking into the frame on his hasty exit.

Under normal circumstances Kass would laugh but right now she was thinking more on how Aric's lips would feel on hers than anything else. A strong sense of nostalgia and deep sadness hit again and she shook her head before going to look for a dustpan to clean up the glass. Fraternisation was forbidden after all no matter what past she and Aric apparently shared together. Nothing could come of it and with her family's influence nothing ever would.


	19. Past Regrets

The flight back to Carrick Station was awkward to say the least. Throughout the journey Kass and Aric completely avoided one another or at the very least stared firmly at a opposing wall whenever they had to interact for work related purposes and the week's end reports.

It was just before they docked that Kass summoned some level of courage and actually tapped on the entrance to thw cargo hold where Aric was working on some kind of project on a large crafting machine they had stored in the back. He rubbed the back of his arm across his brow and turned around to face her, instantly shifting his gaze to some point over her right shoulder. 

She felt her cheeks grow warm as she was once again reminded of the boundaries they'd almost crossed and quickly cleared her throat. "You said you wanted me to inform you when I was about to leave?"

Aric slowly nodded. "How long do you think you'll be?"

"At least three days, maybe five if there's trouble. I won't be able to keep in contact because of proximity to the Empire so if things go south..."

"It won't. Not if I have anything to say about it." Aric growled out a bit too intensely before pausing. "I'm sure you'll do fine, just kick ass like normal."

"But still...I want to know Havoc will be in good hands in case shit hits the fan, so while I'm out you're effectively my XO. Its not written down on paper or anything yet but I already in a way consider you as such." Kass said quickly before he could cut in again.

Aric's mouth opened and closed several times before he managed to say something, his voice coming out more strangled than he wanted it to be. "You're sure this is what you want? I mean I won't turn it down if it formally comes up..."

"I feel you're someone I can trust with the job and I had a talk with Dorne about it a few days ago. She didn't look too impressed with the idea of you potentially acting as my second but she said she'll accept it without complaint. Though I'll be frank and say both your people skills suck, but in the eventuality we get more crew members I think they'll be more inclined to listen to you than Dorne and she still needs to work around that." Kass responded noting that Aric had narrowed his eyes in her direction but he looked vaguely amused.

"Now I'm curious as to just what you think of us." He replied with a slight growl.

Kass closed her eyes for a moment as she thought before responding. "To me I think you both show signs of good leadership despite the lack of people skills. You both care about the people under your command but have different ways of handling it if something goes wrong."

Aric raised a brow. "How so?"

"Simply enough you have a tendency to get pissed off and Dorne's more calm efficiency." Kass replied sounding equally amused. "Ord Mantell being the big one and anything that happens to involve Balkar."

"That's...different." He started as he folded his arms and shook his head. "And Ord Mantell..."

"Point being, its very easy to get a rise out of you." She cut in quickly. 

"Well its a little hard to ignore Balkar flirting with you when I'm in the same damn room." Aric's traitorous mouth spurted before he could stop it. 

"Jorgan..." Kass warned but he held up his hand and sighed.

"I was hoping this'd hold off until after we dragged Tavus's rear in for all he's done but this can't wait too much longer. Sir, if you remember that offer I made for drinks on Ord Mantell I'd like to make a request that we head there after you've come back from your mission. We need to talk...badly. There's things I need to say and other things I need to know but we can't really function as a squad if things continue like this."

Kass frowned. "What're you saying?"

"Just wait...until we get to Ord Mantell...please?" Aric responded as Kass's frown deepened.

"...alright then. I'll make the plans once I've come back from this mission then." Kass replied as her holocom sounded. "That sounds like my cue to leave. Take care of the place."

Aric nodded as her holocom sounded again and she sighed as she quickly left the room to gather her belongings. He watched her go in silence but worried a little, hoping she'd return in one piece.

* * *

 

Kass grunted as she shifted on a bedroll deep in the Athiss ruins. The medic growled at her for moving again but she flipped him off in response before laying back down again.

It was a stupid mistake, she'd gotten distracted by thoughts again and didn't realise she'd stepped straight into the large beast's cleave zone and her armor shredded like tissue paper under it's claws. It didn't help either that the giant dog's minions then latched onto her a moment later.

Regardless they managed to scrape through and kill the thing barring the door though the two jedi travelling with them were decidedly unimpressed with the lieutenant of Havoc Squad. So here they were, waiting on kolto to kick in and patch her up before they pressed on and took care of this weird sith cult for good.

As Kass rested a memory surfaced in her mind and she closed her eyes to just let it come rather than bury it.

At first it was a mixed muddle and extremely hazy to boot. A few things stood out; gentle touches, hands all over her body, a face with bright green eyes that hovered above her own with a cheesy but tender smile and above all a declaration of love between herself and the one who was her sole best friend throughout the Academy.

The feeling it left her with did wonders on her physical state. She felt happy and surprisingly at peace with herself but the feeling was short lived as something more vivid came through. It was the final night of the Academy. One last party right before graduation and Kass found herself sitting alone in one of the gardens outside the women's dorms waiting to be picked up by Aric.

A shadow caught her eye and she looked up with a large smile only for it to quickly fade when she met the grey eyes of her father who stood just nearby. "So...this is what you've been up to then? Parading yourself around like a cantina dancer after their next tip?" He growled as he approached. "And here I had such high hopes for you Kassela."

Her mouth opened and closed several times before she managed some form of a retort. "What I do...is...is none of your business. So long as I fulfilled the conditions laid out there should have been no problem."

"True. There was no problem initially but I recently heard that you've taken on a lover...one you've kept secret for quite some time and a cathar of all things. Your mother, needless to say, is absolutely disgusted." Nolan said, taking in the look of absolute horror on her face.

"H-how did you....?"

"You forget girl, I have eyes everywhere." He continued, approaching and roughly taking her jaw in his fingers. The grip was painful enough to bruise the following morning but for now all she could do was look into her father's cold eyes. "Unlike your mother, I'm more forgiving and not without compromise so here is what you'll do. You're going to stay at a different compound that's also tied to the Academy but is specialises in forward recon and assault for the next year. No outside contact. Nothing."

Kass's heart clenched painfully in her chest. "Can I at least end it on my terms?"

Nolan abruptly let go and Kass rubbed her sore jaw. "As long as it ends and don't bother running off and eloping. I'll be watching everything you do."

"So you'll happily screw over your own daughter because she fucked a alien?" Her tone turned bitter right before her father's hand enclosed around her neck like a living noose.

"You forget, I made you. I invested time into you, you owe us everything. But if you're so keen on spending time with your lover then I can't stop you...though I wonder how he'd feel if he knew that you were the sole person responsible for him suddenly losing any chance of a career he could have in the Republic." Nolan growled as Kass paled. "Only you can decide but keep in mind, if you back out on our deal then you lose everything and you take your lover down with you." With that he dropped his grip on her throat and walked away, leaving her with her thoughts and a broken heart.

Between her father leaving and Aric's arrival she'd thought hard on any kind of way out, any kind of future where she could fulfil the promise and not screw over both their futures in the process but for the life of her she couldn't think of anything.

She held herself tightly and shivered in the warm air when she heard another set of footsteps approach and looked up to find Aric holding a small bouquet of flowers dressed in a formal vest and pants. He frowned at her before placing the flowers beside her on the seat and taking her cold hands in his warm ones.

"You alright? You look like you just saw a ghost." He asked in deep concern.

The tender worry in his eyes just about killed her as she was reminded of the despicable act she had to do as she mumbled a simple. "I'm fine..."

Aric's eyes narrowed at her in suspicion. "You really don't look or even sound fine."

"Aric..." Kass begged. "Please...I just ate something weird that was all. I don't really feel up to going to the formal tonight..." she took a moment to look him up and down, he'd really gone all out with trimming and slicking his hair back so it nearly sat flat on his head. "I'd much rather spend the evening with you to be honest."

He relaxed a little at that and took the bouquet, gently placing it in her hands. "If you're sure then... Is there anywhere you want to go?"

"Since you always came to visit me in my dorm how about I visit yours instead?" Kass suggested.

"Just as well most of the guys rented hotel rooms ahead of tonight, I'm fairly sure I can sneak you inside. Nice dress by the way." He replied with a teasing growl which made her smile before she got up and he gently wrapped a arm around her waist.

Kass sighed as she took in the scent of his cologne and rested her head on his shoulder as they walked together toward the mens dorms. True to Aric's word they were empty aside from the odd recruit as they snuck through the halls and up a few flights of stairs until they reached his room.

With a small smile Aric opened the door and led her inside. Kass looked around the place and found Republic paraphernalia posters here and there, several holos on his desk. Kass moved over and looked at them more closely. One was a younger version of Aric when he'd just entered the Academy, a serious and harsh expression was on his face in the picture which was a direct contrast with the others.

The second holo was of what she presumed to be Aric's family. His father had Aric's other littermate on his shoulders while Aric himself stood between his mother and father, beaming ear to ear in pride while his mother held two other infants in her arms. The date on the holo put him at about five years old when the picture was taken and it made her smile at the adorableness of the picture.

The last few were pictures of the pair of them. Smiling, happy and completely smitten with one another as they worked together or posed. There was one where she even kissed his cheek as the shot was taken and the look of pleasant surprise on his face nearly made her cry.

"Kass..." Aric asked as he came up behind her and wrappef his arms around her waist. "What's wrong? Seriously. This isn't like you."

Her heart thudded painfully in her chest as she placed the bouquet on his desk and turned in his arms. "Don't worry about it...I just want to forget a little while." she growled out before kissing him roughly.

It seemed to surprise him and she thought he'd push her away but instead he gripped onto her tighter as he backed into his bed and pulled her down with him as he fell. 

Kass pulled away as Aric rolled her underneath his body and soon her world became all feeling and sensation as he took his time making love to her through the night.

Several hours after, Kass had awoken wrapped in a pair of warm furry arms. She looked up and found Aric still fast asleep, his expression was so sweet that tears welled up and slid down her face and she knew she'd have to leave now or she never would be able to again.

Scrubbing at her eyes she pulled on her clothes and took the bouquet before going back to Aric and tucking him back in. Her fingers gently brushed over his cheek before she pulled back and quickly left the room, hurrying down the halls and out of the dorm before anyone could find her.

Kass was packed within a hour and gone in two. Her emails and everything were closed and her heart was completely broken. Her father nodded as he sat with her on the ship toward special assault training on a different planet. "Finally. Everything is as it should be. You made the correct decision  _my daughter_ "

Back on Athiss, Kass opened her eyes as she felt a hollow feeling enter her body. Things became clearer afterward and she could piece together why she had extensive gaps in her memory through the Academy and during her first tour. A coping mechanism or perhaps her mind trying to protect itself from what was going on around her she wasn't sure. Regardless she forced herself through the assault training and the tours until she got scouted for Havoc and achieved what her father wanted...at least for now....

Gritting her teeth she crawled out of the bedroll and made a decision. On Ord Mantell she'd listen to whatever Aric had to say but she resolved to tell him everything. If he hated her then it was only fair but he deserved to know the truth of her fucked up family. From there...well who knows...if it came down to it though she'd leave Havoc and give a massive finger to her father in the process. But it was a matter of waiting and seeing.

The jedi seemed to pick up on her change in mood and ceased their meditations. One of them nodding to her firmly as she grabbed her gun and gripped it tightly. "Let's go get this son of a bitch." Kass growled.


	20. Waiting

Sighing heavily, Aric glanced at the time on a small clock for the thousandth time. Kass was late returning home, very late, and there was a deep gnawing feeling of worry deep in his stomach.

For the past few days the ship was quiet as everyone went and did their own duties. Forex's attempts to bolster morale with speeches and the like went unnoticed for the better part as they all awaited the return of their commanding officer with growing unease.

There were no notices or calls informing them that Kass had been killed in action or captured by the Imps but it was a small reassurance in the grand scheme of things.

Today was like the others and once again Aric had finished his duties too early. Without anything better to do he looked through his holonet mail and began the long, annoying process of deleting credit spam and paying rent on a apartment he never used on Coruscant.

As he scrolled through the inbox two bits of mail caught his eye. The first was from General Vander offering him his old post, a promotion and the command of their operations back on Ord Mantell along with a apology for everything that happened. Aric blinked at the letter as he marked it for later. That honestly wasn't something he ever expected to see and he felt a bit conflicted. Sure, he liked working under General Vander who had a good sense of honor and cared for the men working under him, but he prefered working in Havoc.

Deep down he liked being in the thick of things again, hitting the Imps where it hurt himself rather than sitting back and watching others go off and do the grunt work. There was something more satisfying about it, that feeling he was making a difference where it counted. Well that and the feeling he was giving a savage punch in revenge for what was done to his people by the Empire and mandalorians.

Shaking his head, Aric returned back to his mail and opened the second letter. This time it was from his older littermate which caused his lips to curve into a fond smile.

_Hey fuzzball,_

_Been too long since you were last in contact with the family but I'll suspect its because you're on some top secret classified mission again like you normally are. Seriously brother, you need to lighten up and actually come home for Life Day for once. The family misses you deeply._

_Maa'te went through your stuff from the Academy finally. I know ages ago you told her not to and she respected that, especially considering you had that injury not long after graduating Corellia. But...well she found some holos of you and your ex after she vanished and Maa'te wanted to know if you still wanted the originals or for her to get rid of them._

_She's all in favor of the latter by the way and against Faa'te's advice she's already picked a spot in the balcony garden where she intends to burn them. But considering its your stuff I got her to hang on until I checked everything over with you first._

_That aside. Iren and Lia are doing well last I heard with Lia doing something on Balmorra and Iren about to return home for a bit from his latest trade. Lia said something about the Imps doing a massive push a few months back and that she wouldn't be in contact for a while. Faa'te said to ask if you could maybe put some feelers out and see that she's doing okay._

_Anyway, hope to hear from you soon brother._

_-Marren_

Aric chuckled faintly as he read through before his face sobered at his mother burning something of his. He went to the attachments and found holos of himself and Kass staring back at him. Happy, content and clearly smitten with one another as they smiled at the camera or at each other.

A sick feeling begain in his stomach as he looked back to the letter and the word "vanished" stood out. His mind pieced together what happened, even if he didn't particularly remember the event itself.

Kass and he...were together a long time ago. At some point something happened that caused Kass to disappear and he lost his memory of their time together while he was apparently brooding over it when he had his accident.

He looked again to the photos and thought back to the Kass he knew now and something nagged at him, there was some piece to the puzzle that was missing that could only come from Kass herself...if she came home.

A noise startled him and he slapped the datapad down on the a crate with a surprisingly loud slapping sound as his head snapped to the doorway. Dorne stood there with a confused frown as she looked between the datapad and him. "Excuse me sergeant, but I was wondering if I would be able to borrow you for a brief moment of your time."

Aric raised a eyebrow and folded his arms as he unconsiously moved between Dorne and the datapad. "What did you need sergeant?"

Dorne shifted uneasily before speaking again. "As a condition of my service in the Republic military, Personnel Division requires that I report regularly on my activities. However, Havoc Squad missions are classified and cannot be shared with Personnel Division...and I'd like to ask if you would vouch for me when I report in."

"Wait...isn't that something Ka-....Ithesda should handle when she gets back?" He replied, cursing his slip of the tongue.

"Ordinarally I would but Personnel Division has been...'requesting' that I report in as soon as possible. Since the lieutenant made it clear that you were the acting XO before she left...that is why I came to you instead." Dorne replied before sighing.

Aric looked a little closer and noticed dark circles beneath the younger woman's eyes. This had apparently been going on for a while now and Dorne had been bearing it all in silence. "How long have they been chasing you for the report?"

"For the past eight days. It started a little after the lieutenant left the ship for her mission." 

"Alright...if you don't mind that its me vouching for you then."

"I would have preferred the lieutenant being here but considering the circumstances...." Dorne said as she looked him up and down in a little disapproval as Aric raised a brow.

"I kind of need you out of the door sergeant if you want me to vouch for you." He growled before moving past Dorne when she finally shifted out of the way. Aric stood at attention while Dorne quickly set up the call and made sure it was secure before speaking.

"Captain Kalor? This is Elara Dorne, personnel number 22-795, reporting in as per regulation 449." She said as a mirialan appeared before them.

Aric caught a flicker of annoyance on the captain's face before it changed into a smile. "Please, Elara. You don't need to give me the full rundown every time. I know who you are. How are things?"

"Well enough, sir. Allow me to introduce Sergeant Aric Jorgan, acting XO for Havoc Squad under the command of my new CO- Lieutenant Kassela Ithesda. Sergeant, this is Captain Kalor, Army Personnel Division." Dorne replied as she made the introductions.

Kalor's smile fell from his face and he folded his arms. "Acting XO? You mean to say the lieutenant herself couldn't make a appearance?"

"The lieutenant is away on a mission for the RERC and hasn't returned yet. Apparently Personnel Division didn't want to wait until she came back." Aric responded calmly. Something about this man was rubbing him up the wrong way.

"Ah..." Kalor replied. "That's because the Personnel reports have to be filed by a certain date and can't be late."

"Not entirely true sir, according to Personnel Division code 749 reports can be delayed up to fourteen days or potentially longer if the person making the report is unavailable due to certain circumstances. I already took the opportunity to inform you three days ago that my CO was unavailable." Dorne said and it made Aric's eyes narrow.

"I must not have read it through properly. Anyway, how is working for the top squad in the Republic? You must be keeping very busy." Kalor replied, backpedaling into supposidely safer territory.

"Captain, sir. If I can cut you off right there..." Aric responded, placing his arm in front of Dorne as a warning for her to say nothing. "...anything involving Havoc Squad activities or daily life is strictly classified. If you have a issue with this arrangement then take it up with General Garza."

"Elara please..." Kalor pleaded. "You know this "top secret" junk won't fly with my superiors."

"And that is not my problem sir. As soon as my commanding officer returns any reports of my personality or actions will be coming from her, not me. But they can not and will not contain any information regarding Havoc Squad and its activities." Dorne said, the expression on her face being somewhat confused.

Kalor sighed. "Fine. Just...carry on Elara. We'll talk about this after I've had a word with my superiors. Kalor out." and with that the line went dead.

"I thought protecting classified information was a top priority...surprisingly the captain didn't seem to agree." Her tone was confused and somewhat perplexed. "Anyway, I appreciate you doing this for me sergeant." 

Aric meanwhile rubbed his chin as he thought. "Wait, before you go...keep a eye on that guy. Something about him rubs me up the wrong way, particularly with how he turned to you for support despite my telling him of the rule regarding pretty much any SpecForce personnel."

The blonde woman nodded. "I have to admit that I am inclined to agree. I hope that it will be nothing but still...thank you again, Jorgan." she said before retreating back to medbay.

Aric's brow rose at her use of his surname since she'd been stubbornly referring to him as sergeant since her arrival. To be fair there'd been some animosity between them both that had grown when Kass decided on him as the acting XO and he hadn't trusted her on account of her heritage, but they were moving past that slowly and beginning to function better as a team rather than just seperate people.

Hopefully their CO would return soon and he could have the answers to his questions.


	21. Shadow Fist Trap

Kass exhaustedly climbed aboard the ship after her mission and reading a interesting letter from a certain Captain Kalor giving her a proper verbal ass kicking over the crew getting in the way of rules and regulations.

Her body hurt like mad from wounds, muscle strains and a headache but she mustered the energy to straighten her back and move to the briefing room. "Forex, can you leave the room for a while?" Kass asked the droid.

"Why certainly, sir. May I ask if you're alright? I'd hate to think of what could have happened to you at the hands of those disgusting Imperials."

"Forex. Enough, out please." Kass ordered, silencing the droid instantly and she watched as he left the room. She had a moment where guilt struck for snapping but she needed to be firm as she pressed the internal com. "Jorgan, Dorne. To the briefing room. Now."

She waited, rubbing the sides of her head as she leaned heavily on the podium. The medic on Athiss was good but he wasn't quite enough to patch her up to the level she needed on the fly. As a result she was paying for it tenfold and she made a mental note to never be paired with the guy again considering he even had issues keeping the jedi up when they faced some kind of abomination in the tombs.

Dorne entered first and she instantly frowned at the sight of her exhausted CO. "Sir, are you sure you should be standing right now?" she asked as Kass just waved her to a seat.

"I'll sit down soon enough." She said right as Aric walked in the room and his eyes instantly narrowed on her. He looked about ready to say something but she shook her head before he could and gestured for him to take a seat. When he was down that's when she sighed and started talking. "So...can someone explain to me who in hell is Captain Kalor and why is he mailing me about the...apparently insubordinate and rude nature of my crew?" She asked as Aric snorted in laughter.

Kass fixed him with a unimpressed eyebrow raise as Dorne cleared her throat. "Captain Kalor is my contact from Personnel Division. As a requirement of my defection I am supposed to contact him regularly with updates as to my activities. Since Havoc Squad was classified and you were away on mission I was left with asking Sergeant Jorgan for help." Dorne answered.

"And what did you say that particularly got him riled up, Jorgan?" Kass asked, her gaze tiredly focusing on Aric.

"Simply enough? I told him that he was out of line and if he had a issue then to take it up with Garza.....in much nicer words of course. Though it seems he got offended anyway..." Aric responded a little sarcastically as Kass sighed. 

"Can we please not antagonise another department?" Kass sighed as she rubbed her forehead. "There's enough trouble already and I don't want Kalor breathing down my neck too, much as he is already toeing the line with the whole confidentiality thing."

"Understood sir. I'll send him a apology gift basket immediately." Aric replied then immediately clammed up when Kass fixed him with The Look.

"Not funny. Dorne, since it regards you are you able to handle this or should I get Garza to get him to back off?" 

Dorne considered it. "I believe I can and I do not wish to burden you any further with this. It is fine, I can handle it."

Kass tiredly smiled in reassurance and licked her dry lips as they stung. "Dorne, you're a member of my crew first and foremost. Anything I can help with or you need to vent just ask alright?"

"On one condition sir."

"Name it."

"That you allow me to examine you before you turn in. I can smell kolto but also blood coming from you, you keep rubbing your forehead and you are putting too much weight beyond a restful pose on that podium." Dorne replied with a small but concerned smile. "I may not be able to help much but I can at least ease the pain."

Kass closed her eyes and smiled as she was outed by the medic and Aric frowned in confusion and worry. "This could have waited until the morning, sir." he said with a growl.

"And I would be in even worse pain than right now. My mission didn't go well, the healer was...adequate but couldn't keep up the further along we got so we got heavily injured." Kass replied as she straightened with a deep groan. "Meanwhile I'm going to go with Dorne, get patched up and rest. I'll see you in the morning Jorgan." she said as she grabbed her stuff and walked to medbay with Dorne.

With the medic's help she got cleaned and more thoroughly patched up than earlier but she ended up having to camp out on a medbay bed out of sheer exhaustion. For once her sleep was dreamless and she welcomed it with open arms so she could recuperate ahead of any future missions ahead. With the job done though it meant she could focus on Tavus now with little worry.

* * *

 

Sighing quietly, Kass looked further up the hallway of the seemingly desolate ship. Despite her misgivings about the scenario, Garza had sent her to this drifting ship in order to retrieve a experimental piece of cloaking technology that Tavus had stolen. Even Aric admitted to her privately that it felt too conveniently set up for it to be anything other than a trap.

As a precaution Kass decided to take both Forex and Aric with her for extra firepower in case of ambush but so far there was nothing but droids and laser trip booby traps. 

"For the Republic!" Forex suddenly yelled and charged toward a suicide drone right as Kass was disarming a booby trap.

The result was chaotic as fire from a seperate trap burst against her side and she felt a strong arm hauling her back and into safety. Kass winced as the flames had torn its way straight through her undersuit to her skin through the gaps in her armor and she looked up to see Aric panting in pain with him sharing a matching injury. Albeit his was accompanied by the smell of burning cathar hair that made Kass gag slightly.

"Damn it Forex! Watch what you're doing! You almost fried your commanding officer with your antics." Aric growled out as he pulled medpacks out so they could both get treated quickly. "She only just got out of medbay and you're that keen to send her back in?"

Forex dispatched the last drone before he clanked back but this time stayed well away from the remaining laser traps. "My apologies sir. It won't happen again." He replied, appearing to sink down in shame a bit.

Waving a hand, Kass moved away from Aric to disarm the last few traps in the hallway. Her cheeks feeling a bit too warm but she pinned blame on the trap rather than the weird thudding in her chest. "Forex. I appreciate the attitude but be more combat aware. Particularly of things either around you or under your feet. Alright?"

"Yes sir." the droid responded. "I'll focus on ranged weaponry to ensure that no more accidents occur."

"Good." Kass muttered as she wrapped up and helped Aric to stand once more. Together they walked into what appeared to be the main cargo hold but it like the hall was filled with more traps and drones. "Aric, assist me in taking out the traps. Forex, the drones are yours. Keep them off us." Kass ordered as they split up, climbing over crates or around other trap consoles in order to clear the room and free up the cloaking device.

This time things went smoothly now that Forex's over enthusiastic attitude had been cooled off and it didn't take all that long before they had the room all nice and clear. Oddly enough the drones stopped spawning after the last trap was down and Kass frowned as she caught sight of a active holo in the background with Tavue watching them.

"Let me guess...you're parsecs away in a nice comfortable ship and intending to watch us all get incinerated by whatever or whoever else you have stored in here." Kass said sarcastically.

"An educated guess lieutenant. It is lieutenant now isn't it? You're doing very well for yourself...I'd almost be proud if it wasn't for your family being the one to open my eyes to just how disgusting and corrupt the Republic's become." Tavus spat out in rage.

Slowly Kass closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Wraith probably had a personal cloaking device on her and that's how she overheard her little secret. "That still doesn't excuse you for betraying the Republic back in some petty act of revenge."

"Revenge?! We were heroes! Saving the Republic from dangers you could only dream about and yet by the words of one damn general we were cast out and treated as criminals. Now you've come to put the final nail in the coffin. Needles...Andrik....what the hell is wrong with you?" He growled, causing Kass to grit her teeth as her former CO stared down at her in disgust. Like she was insane or perhaps a mere thing and for some reason it reminded her of her family so much that she froze.

Aric noticed the change in Kass and distracted Tavus from noticing. "We never said the Republic was perfect but your people got innocent others caught up in the crossfire. People who weren't even damn involved. Yet you claim that as justified?!"

"That's war Jorgan. Plain and simple." Tavus responded coldly. "Perhaps its time that you meet someone who I've been dying to introduce to you. In all my career there's only one enemy that's been as difficult as you: The Imperial Shadow Fist. One of the most elite commando units in all the Sith Empire and five of the Emperor's deadliest agents. When they're done with you, I've asked them to send your remains off to daddy dearest...as a thanks for opening my eyes." he looked off to the side as men started destealthing on the opposite end of the cargo hold. "You're long overdue for a painful death lieutenant. Good bye." he said and cut the line.

Aric looked at Kass who was still frozen and quickly smacked her upside the back of the head. "Look alive sir or get shot!" he muttered urgently as she snapped out of it and looked around the room.

"R-right. Ahem... Forex handle the two largest ones, Aric grab the one on top of the shipping container and I'll grab the guy that just hid himself. Any sign of the fifth?"

"No sir. But we need to move. Now." Aric replied urgently before Kass gave the signal and they all split up for their respective opponents.

Deep down she was still in some lingering pain from Athiss and it made her reaction time slower than normal as she just managed to dodge the vibroknives of her opponent. She fought to keep focused and not dwell on Tavus' words as she aimed a shockstrike into the shadow fist's back, sending them straight to the floor so she could finish them off with a shot.

When she looked up the others had dealt with their shadow fist members quite nicely and Aric had even gone the extra mile of tracking down the missing one from around the corner. Nodding to herself she set a beacon on the ship for retrieval from a Republic military vessel that Garza had informed her was enroute and made her way back to the ship.

After reports were made Dorne made a noise at the burns left over from the traps and went to the cargo hold to go synthesize a salve using the crafting machine at the back, leaving Kass and Aric in the medbay alone together.

Aric sighed deeply as he looked over at Kass, who had her arm covering her eyes since she hated medical procedures, and frowned a little. "You alright?"

There was a small noise as Kass sighed. "Not really. I knew the chances that Tavus would find out my family's involvement were high but...things still hit close to home."

"I could guess by the way you froze up back there...did you want to talk about it? Might help a bit." Aric suggested as Kass shrugged and hissed.

"If its alright...I think I'll save it for Ord Mantell. I don't really want to risk it with Dorne hopping in and out and I don't want her worrying anymore than she already does." Kass replied before muttering. "I'm practically living in here at this rate"

Aric chuckled quietly at that before she continued. "Anyway. Did you want these drinks to be formal, business casual, plain casual or so much skin casual that I'll be arrested for indecency?"

At that Aric had to spend a moment slapping the mental image of his commanding officer butt ass naked sitting on the bar and inclining her finger toward him. He didn't know why his mind made the jump but it had bad timing as he felt himself harden painfully. "Uh...just casual. Normal casual. Whatever you feel comfortable in." he blurted out and turned on his side to face away from her. "Anyway I'm beat after the mission so I'll just sleep like now....right now. G'night."

Kass blinked at the sudden change but rolled to face the wall so Dorne could better treat her arm a bit easier and she could get some rest without being on her back. She sighed deeply as she closed her eyes to get some rest and not think about anything for just a little while.

 


	22. Confessions

Kass stepped off the shuttle and walked through the hanger into the compound of Fort Garnik. She looked around the place and found that not all that much had changed. There was still the distant sounds of gunfire but it was further than what she remembered and there was a more relaxed feeling around the fort which probably meant that things were slowly beginning to settle down.

It felt good to know that there was some positive change going on. Maybe her helping the people several months ago actually did something to help after all...

She snapped out of the thought and walked over to the bar, promptly dodging a drunk soldier being thrown out before she caught sight of Aric in a corner nursing a drink. He looked pretty good in civilian clothes but there was a particular expression on his face that worried her a bit.

He looked up and saw her, the expression fading a bit into something warmer as he waved her over. "Hey, glad you could make it. I have to admit its a little strange to be seeing you in civilian clothes...but this looks a lot better than what you wore last time."

Kass looked down at herself. It was a simple interstellar privateer's outfit with black pants that she sometimes wore as a going out outfit. She had other things but those showed a little more skin than what she liked and considering this wasn't a date....or at least the thought it wasn't... "I take it the formal number wasn't your style?" She said while sitting down.

"It looked...out of place. Like it wasn't something that you chose if that makes any sense?" Aric replied as he took a drink from his glass. "By the way, most drinks here are good but stay well away from the 'Bartender's Special'. He puts several different ingredients in it and it tastes disgusting. Nine times out of ten you'll end up in medbay and throwing your guts up before the end. Damn thing's mostly alcohol. "

Kass raised a eyebrow with that. "Speaking from experience or too many sick soldiers coming in to work?"

He chuckled slightly as Kass ordered a drink and a soda to sweeten up the taste. "A bit of both. Actually it got so bad that the medics had to come up with a counter so people would stop clogging up their beds."

"Did someone confront the bartender?" Kass asked with a frown as her glass was delivered and she eyed it warily.

"Multiple times but its all legal. People kept using it as a excuse for a sick day and since the medics found a way to work around it its become more of a right of passage thing now." Aric responded with a small smile as Kass relaxed and settled to mix her drink and sip it quietly. "Not too bad I hope?"

"I have to admit I like this better than the stuff at home. Its all fine wines and rarities from some obscure planet I haven't even heard of..." Kass tapped her glass thoughtfully. "But you haven't called me here just to ask my opinion on drinks have you?"

Aric sobered and quickly drained the last of his drink, wincing slightly as it burned down his throat. "No. It was for something more than that." He said as Kass took a drink and waited. "How much do you remember of your time at the Academy?"

Deep in Kass's chest her heart pounded. "Not much. My memory is hazy at best of my time there." She responded and cleared her throat as Aric slid a datapad across the table at her and she picked up, the pounding growing even stronger when she saw her own face looking back.

"Remember that?" Aric probed as she looked up at him. His eyes were unusually bright and searching her own as they sought answers that she knew she'd have to give.

Kass licked at her lip as she lowered the datapad and shifted in her seat. "Yes." She murmured quietly. "Look...can we not talk about this here...?"

Aric stood and slapped his hand down on the table with a scowl. "Outside and stay within my sight." He growled and grabbed the datapad as Kass finished off her drink so fast she nearly choked. Nerves made the drink shift uneasily in her stomach as she paid and left the bar and Aric gestured for her to follow him.

Kass walked with Aric up some stairs until they reached the top which had a view overlooking Mannett Point. With a sharp growl he ordered off the two people who were standing there and watching in confusion. Upon recognising who he was they quickly bolted and left them alone in the dimming light. "Start talking." He ordered with his arms folded as he leaned against the rail.

Closing her eyes Kass worked to recall bits of memory that she'd pieced together. "Just bear with me...like I said it's hazy." she said, catching his brow raise when she opened them again. "Before the Academy I was dumped in a specialised military school since my father wanted to cram all the military knowledge into me within a short time frame. It came with...problems. A lot of the kids thought I was some rich brat and vented out their frustrations on me. After being pushed off a cliff on a nature trail I snapped and paid them back tenfold for what they did. Doing that gave the heads the excuse they needed to throw me out and father was royally pissed as a result."

Her lips tightened as she looked away to Mannett Point and focused on that rather than Aric. "He wasn't done with me...still wanted his damned investment despite personal cost to me and made arrangements for me to enter the Academy. I was too....tired....to fight back so I made a deal with him. I'd behave, keep my head down, quiet and do as he said on the condition that I'd enter under a different name. Someone in the Academy I think, knew what he was like...or maybe O'Hare himself knew but he set up the conditions between you and me in Corellia."

Aric nodded as he listened but frowned at the pained look on her face when she turned back to him and she continued on. "We ended out caring more than what was supposed to be and we hooked up together."

"That I remember...and some of the things that came after. But I need to know Kass...why did you leave me behind?" He murmured gently.

"I...." Kass began and folded her arms as she fought the urge to clam up. "My family found out about us. Father came and said I had to end it. Mother thought the idea of me dating a alien was disgusting and she wanted heirs probably. Father was more concerned about losing his investment more than anything else so he came in person to ensure I'd obey. The cost if I didn't was too high and I..." She drew in a shuddering breath as she grew upset and scrubbed at her eyes. "Fuck's sake. Why it this so damn hard?!"

She felt a touch on her arm and she stiffened as she looked to find Aric's warm hand encircling her arm, the thumb gently rubbing through the fabric in a comforting gesture. "Take it slow...and if I'm making you uncomfortable then say the word and I'll back off." he soothed gently.

At first she didn't respond and shakily sighed as his touch actually helped calm her down a little. "No...its fine." Kass replied as she focused on his hand and its warmth. "My father stated that he'd completely ruin your career and mine and leave us with nothing. So, sure, you might be happy with someone you cared about but you'd have no money and a screwed to hell record which would make getting hired anywhere virtually impossible."

There was silence as Aric took it all in. "And what happened next?"

"I slept with you one last time to say goodbye before I ended up in the special assault training facility. My mail got shut down which was why you couldn't get a hold of me and from there I was so disgusted with myself that I wanted to end it all." Kass replied as she looked out at the view again. "I couldn't do it and because my father's conditions were still hanging above me I threw myself into work instead. The depression was so bad that I guess I blocked out that section of my memory as some kind of self preservation thing. It only started breaking through during Garza's missions on Coruscant."

Aric let out a shaky sigh and let go of her arm. "To be fair...I forgot you as well. While doing officer training on Coruscant I had a accident and fell off a stack of crates during a exercise. A stupid mistake but it knocked out a fair portion of my memory so I couldn't remember you or the Academy or really a lot of stuff prior to that...but thank you for giving me my answer. It also explains a lot behind where you keep disappearing to..." He said and rubbed his forehead.

"What happens now?" Kass asked as she rubbed at a eye. "No...don't answer. Its probably best I leave Havoc, serve the Republic in some other way."

He frowned and growled. "No. You're not falling on your own sword again. You've sacrificed enough as it stands...and we have three options...if you're willing to consider them."

Kass frowned in confusion. "Okay...what are these options?"

Aric held up three fingers. "The first is that we decide we can't function as a unit and I transfer out. I had a mail recently from Vander and he offered me my old post back, a promotion and a run of their operations-"

"But you like working with Havoc..." Kass cut in and Aric just gently smiled.

"-the second is that nothing changes and we find a way to work around one another despite our history." He continued on and shifted a little closer while tucking the datapad in a pocket.

"And what's the third?"

"Its clear that there's something between us, if what went on in your room is any judgement...and the blush you currently have on your face." He observed in amusement as Kass covered her face with a growl and chuckled. "The third is that we figure out where this thing between us leads. I know it won't be easy and I know full well that we'll need to keep it just between us considering your family and the military frowning on this kind of thing...but I'm willing to give it a shot if you want to."

Kass considered that quietly. She didn't want him to go after everything they'd been through together but still... "And if they find out?"

"If they find out...then that's a bridge we'll cross together. But as I said, its entirely up to you and what you want at the end of the day. I won't force you to make the decision." He said gently. "I think you've had enough of being forced into a corner, no?"

"Yeah..." Kass murmured and cleared her throat as she felt her face grow hot again as she considered her options. "I think...I'd like to try option three then."

"You're sure?" Aric's voice had turned somewhat husky at that as he watched her curiously.

Kass nodded in silence as he looked around carefully before approaching and cautiously wrapped a arm around her waist before pulling her tightly against his body.

"Last chance...one word that you're uncomfortable and you don't want this or that you want to take it slow and I'll let you go." He murmured as he gazed into her eyes.

"I'm one hundred percent sure this is what I want, Jorgan." She murmured back.

"Aric." he corrected as he gave in and finally kissed her.

Kass groaned and gripped onto his clothing as he bent her back to kiss harder and deeper. Feelings both old and new resurfaced as she returned his kiss and nibbled in his lip causing him to grip her tighter with a deep growl. She felt hot and things were getting too much as they pulled away with a gasp and panted to catch their breath.

One of the arms moved from around her waist and she blinked as Aric softly moved her hair from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear so he could see both for a change rather than just one. "Much better." He murmured right as he heard movement and they both jumped apart from one another as the two people he booted earlier returned.

Kass stumbled and gripped onto the rail while Aric grabbed her arm to help. "What?!" He growled when Kass was standing and glared at them.

"I...uh...apologies sir but General Vander ordered us back to our posts immediately." One of them babbled.

"Fine...just as well we were done anyway." He sighed and jerked his head toward the direction of the stairs. Kass caught onto the message and quickly followed. Once they were back on the shuttle back to the orbital station alone he sat next to her. "How're you feeling?"

"Better than I have in a long while. Just do me a favor as time goes on." Kass replied as she relaxed in her seat.

"What's that?"

"Don't go too hero. I know we both have jobs at the end of the day but I want you to come back in one piece. I don't want to lose the last remaining thing making the galaxy good right now."

Aric smiled at that and held her hand. "The same conditions apply to you you know. Don't think I didn't notice how much pain you were in after your mission."

She turned her head and gave him a small shy peck on the lips. "Its a deal then." She said smiling broadly as the shuttle flew them back to the station where home waited.


	23. Fuse

Kass blinked another drop of sweat out of her eye as it rolled down under her helmet. She leaned against the speeder she and Dorne had rented while the latter had a pair of macrobinoculars and scouted the area.

General Garza had taken advantage of the small gap in Kass's workload to push on the primary goal of tracking down the original Havoc traitors. In truth she'd only just finished another mission for the RERC when Garza put out the call for them to travel to Tatooine since the signs were strong that Fuse was present and active on the planet.

However prior to travel Aric had come forward with the request that he be dropped off on Nar Shaddaa. His old sniper squad, the Deadeyes, had apparently been captured there but the circumstances sounded shady to the pair of them. So she called in a small favor with Balkar and requested that he help Aric in his search for answers.

She did miss him deeply considering they'd had so little time together since Ord Mantell but something else was nagging at her and it wasn't something she could really ignore. She felt sick and despite the heat of the desert of Tatooine she had a cold sweat going on at the back of her neck. Dorne had questioned her over the past few days as the feeling intensified but she really didn't have an answer to give the more scientific based woman.

At times, Kass had a kind of intuition or a 'feeling' of sorts that popped up if something bad was going to happen to someone she was close to, either by blood relation or ties of friendship. Ironically enough it never appeared if it affected her directly so if she was walking straight into the jaws of death then she'd be none the wiser. The biggest times it had popped up was before the Sacking of Coruscant where she'd been ill for days prior to the attack, the other was on her first tour of Hoth.

She and a team of people had been selected to escort a convoy of supplies to the next Republic base but on the way she'd been overcome by such a savage case of illness that she called a stop just to throw up. A very good cathar friend of hers who helped her through the depression phase, joined her to lend some assistance when they found a large White Maw ambush waiting for them at a critical point. Kass sent Otheros back to put the caravan in reverse and travel a different route she scouted on the way while she kept a eye on the ambush, making sure they hadn't caught wind that they knew.

The end result was after a brief investigation, the head of the base found the leak who'd been giving away the convoy routes and Otheros after serving his mandatory time serving the Republic, left and took over as head of the Haven's Blaze casino. Something he was proud of and he still kept in contact with Kass via holomail with stories of his clientele on occasion.

"Sir, I believe I've found the location of the cave network where Fuse said the Imperials would be hiding." Dorne said, cutting in on Kass's train of thought. "We'll need to avoid the Sandpeople camp however."

"Agreed. I want to get this done before nightfall though. I don't think the Colonel will want to linger another night now that he knows we're here." Kass responded as she climbed aboard her speeder and started it. "Well that and huddling together in a tent gets a little awkward after a while."

There was a faint chuckle from Dorne's helmet that sounded a little odd thanks to the speaker. "I do not know, i quite liked our time together and getting to know one another."

Kass facepalmed. "Dorne, just a warning though I'm guilty too. Saying lines like that with no context is going to lead to all sorts of confused questions."

There was a silence as Dorne thought about it. "Oh....oh....OH! S-sir! I didn't mean-!" she cried, waving her hands in flustered embarrassment. "I-I mean we weren't-"

The sight made Kass crack up laughing. "Hey, I'm the only one to hear it and I know what you mean alright? Relax Dorne." she said as the other woman scrambled up and shoved the macrobinoculars into a pack on the side of her own speeder. She didn't say another word until they'd set off, racing for the cave entrance.

It didn't take long for them to obtain the coordinates they were looking for from a scared but young Imperial soldier who she let go free and soon they were on their way to the Dune Sea. Dorne licked her lips under helmet before deciding to broach a topic Kass had been mute on since they arrived. "Sir, about Fuse. Since we had left the mayor's home I noticed that you have been very quiet on the topic of Havoc Squad."

"Yeah...its been nagging at me." She said as she sighed. "Dorne...I've dealt with and had to live with people who've never changed no matter how much I wanted them to. Deep down I can't take Fuse's words as genuine, no matter how much I might want to. Can people really change after all Dorne and I've been wrong all this time?"

There was silence as Dorne considered her answer carefully. "I like to think that everyone is born good deep down, but as we grow our personalities are shaped by the environment live in. A person can change from bad to good and vice versa provided they have opportunity and personal willingness to change. Fuse I believe, always had that spark of goodness in him but he needed to see the error of his ways before that." Dorne said with a small smile. "I looked through his records...he has advanced degrees in chemical engineering, structural engineering.......and musi theory."

"Wait...what?!" Kass had to swerve to narrowly avoid hitting a scyk, she was just that stunned. "You're kidding me? Music theory?"

"I can forward on his record if you do not believe me sir." Dorne replied as they drew close to their destination.

Kass was completely floored by the revelation and it reminded her of a dream she had very very long ago that she gave up when she became the replacement for her twin. A pain settled in her chest as they stopped over the base and snuck inside, dodging around the Imperial guards or quietly taking them out if they were in the way rather than launching a headon assault.

Finally they reached Fuse who was stuck behind a forcefield. Kass blinked as he stood up and approached them. "Long time no see, Fuse." she found herself saying on reflex as he nodded.

"You're just in time. Gorik called for a full scale evacuation." Fuse said quickly. "He's already in the hanger at the back of the base, overseeing the evacuation and he has my bomb designs with him. Please. You have to get to the landing area and stop Gorik before he escapes with my bomb designs!"

"Am I just supposed to leave you here?" Kass asked with a frown.

"Uh...I'm clearly not going anywhere, Lieutenant. After you've taken down Gorik you can-" Fuse was quickly called off by the self destruct alarm blaring out over their heads.

"Perfect..." Kass sighed. "Is there a way to shut down the self destruct?"

"You'd...you'd have to go to the command centre to cancel the detonation. Y-you could even unlock my cell from there. But by the time you get there and stop the explosion, Gorik will have escaped with my bomb designs. That can't happen." Fuse said urgently as he began sweating Kass noticed and frowned.

"Stay here. I'm sure I can stop the explosion and catch Gorik if I move fast enough."

Fuse shook his head quickly. "No. You....you have to leave me. By the time you cancel the destruct, Gorik will be long gone. Please! There isn't time to argue. It's down to me or the bomb designs and....well...there's only one good choice here."

Kass nodded. "Dorne, double time it." she ordered and the both ran down the hallway together frantically shoving the evacuating Imperials out of the way before they realised who they even were. She ran up a ramp and caught sight of one very confused Imperial guard guarding the command console. "Gang way!" She yelled and hit him with a solid kick to the temple, knocking him out fast before looking between the console and the door. Dorne's earlier conversation rang through her head and she made her decision...

* * *

 

Fuse had his eyes tightly shut in his cell. He was expecting a big blast and a firey ball of pain but nothing happened. Cautiously he opened his eyes and found the door open and Kass staring outside. "Why?" was all he could ask.

"Dorne...can you give us a minute?" She asked as she pulled off her helmet and pushed her sweaty hair back behind her head.

"Of course sir." Dorne replied and went to go stand toward the entrance to the room to guard it and ensure there were no more stragglers.

Kass looked back at Fuse but her gaze was unsure. "I saved you because I wanted answers that I couldn't get if you were dead."

Fuse looked confused. "Okay?"

"Why did you follow Tavus? You could have at any time backed out but you didn't, why?" Kass asked as she balanced her helmet under her arm on her hip.

"It was...harder than what you think. Tavus was completely convinced that...that the Republic screwed us over. After Ando Prime and the fallout after that...I was inclined to believe him. Part of me still does I must admit." Fuse answered, meeting her gaze square on. While he was nervous there wasn't any hint of malice or secrecy in his face. It was just one soldier talking to another. "I stayed and followed because...Havoc...Tavus...was all I had left. I felt like I belonged somewhere and I was desperate to continue that...so I played along...pretended I was someone I wasn't in order to fit in. But after Gorik...after I saw for myself what thing I created had done I just...I was so so disgusted with myself, Lieutenant."

Kass was silent as she took it all in. "Did you feel any remorse for stabbing me in the back?"

"Yes...yes I did." He said as she searched his face.

"Alright then..." She said quietly. "I have my answer then. Come on."

"Wait...I need one answered now...why did you spare me? Honestly." Fuse asked, refusing to budge one footstep.

Kass jerked her thumb at Dorne. "For that you can thank my medic. She was the one who got me thinking about it. Don't get me wrong, I did want to either shoot you or throw you in jail somewhere where the sun won't shine...but one thing changed my mind."

Fuse frowned in mild confusion. "What's that?"

"A truly cold hearted guy wouldn't have gotten a degree in music theory first." She replied with a small smile. "Take it from someone who had similar dreams to you a long time ago but for performing arts. Now get moving."

At that Fuse just gaped in stunned shock before moving forward in a daze, walking toward whatever future awaited him next.

* * *

 

Kass and Dorne both sighed in relief as they entered the specially airconditioned Thunderclap. The cool air felt like bliss as they stripped down to their undersuits and boots before making their way to the main com room. Since Kass had to stay to make the debrief first she offered the first shower run to Dorne before starting up the link to Garza and standing at attention.

"Lieutenant. Thank you for calling. From what I hear you've been very busy and we have a lot to discuss. First, congratulations on stopping the bombings in Anchorhead. Mayor Kierran was both impressed and grateful. Well done."

Kass nodded tiredly. "Glad I could make a difference. Having Dorne with me was also greatly essential as she provided on the spot treatment for the wounded."

"Yes. You've both represented the Republic very well in this. Good job." Garza responded with a note of pride. "I also understand you not only found Fuse but also routed a entire Imperial research facility in the process. Lieutenant Tasser filed his report only moments ago, actually. I'm sorry he and his men couldn't arrive sooner."

"He did what he could in the short space of time that he had....despite the struggle with that one guy I knocked out. He came to mid extraction..." Kass replied with a wince.

"Yes...so I've read. But hopefully he should be able to provide us with intel of what other projects were going on in the facility considering his location when found. Regardless, Tasser reports that you brought Fuse in alive and without resistance. Kardan will be pleased. He'd begun to doubt our commitment to bringing in the Havoc traitors safely."

Kass winced again. "With luck the others might come in quietly too....with luck."

"What about the bomb designs that Fuse created for the Imperials? Were you able to retrieve a copy?"

"I had to choose between bringing in Fuse alive or going after the plans. Since Fuse was the creator and he would know the signs to look for and how to disarm them I thought it was better to rescue him." Kass said, hiding the other reason why she rescued him. Garza didn't need to know after all.

Garza scowled a bit. "I'm glad you brought him in but losing those plans could come at a great cost. Still the mission was largely successful so you are to be congratulated. When I have the details for your next assignment I will forward them onto you immediately, but still congratulations on the excellent work."

"Thank you, General." Kass responded as Garza closed the call. She sighed in relief as Dorne reappeared from the shower, her hair loose from its usual regulation bun. 

"Sir....sorry to bother you but I've just recieved a holo message that bears Imperial signal codes. I was wondering if you wanted to watch it with me and confirm that I'm not engaged in secret communications with Imperial personnel." Dorne said rather urgently as Kass stared blankly at her hair.

"Hmm? What? Oh! Yes. I can if you want me to." She said before catching Dorne's confused stare. "Sorry, I'm too used to seeing it in the bun. And you could have watched it alone Dorne....I trust you."

Dorne blinked then smiled. "Thank you sir. That means a lot to me." She replied as she loaded it up and the figure of a young man appeared on the screen. He shared a lot of facial features similar to Dorne and it was clear to Kass they were siblings.

"Elara...it's me. Aleksei. I...I hope you're well. Its been a long time. I'm sorry to contact you like this, but I need your help. My men and I...we're as good as dead. We're on Nar Shaddaa...we were caught tampering with one of the Hutts' operations. We never dreamed the slugs would have so much security. These Hutts are Imperial allies, Elara. There is no rescue team, we'll be disavowed and left to die. Please...you're my only hope now." He said as the message ended.

Kass began feeling mildly uncomfortable very fast as Dorne looked to her with hope. "Go get your brother out of there, Elara. You have my leave. I need to go back anyway and find Jorgan so you can take as long as you need."

"I...thank you sir. I appreciate your willingness to help given the circumstances. I believe I can bring him to our side. I know him better than anyone...I can definitely convince him to defect."

"Alright...I'll set course for Nar Shaddaa. Just be careful alright?" Kass replied feeling somewhat envious at the close ties Dorne had with her family.

"Yes sir. I'll prepare immediately." She responded and went to go pack. 

Tiredly Kass dragged herself up the stairs and to the cockpit. The 'feeling' hadn't abated now that she was beginning to wind down from the day's events. In fact she was beginning to feel worse as time passed. "Hold on Aric...whatever you're doing, please be okay..." She muttered to herself as she piloted the ship from the spaceport and straight into hyperspace.

 

 


	24. The Missing Cathar

Balkar winced as Kass pinned him against a wall. "What do you mean he's gone?!" She yelled causing people to stare in their direction.

"Exactly as I've told you now can you let me down so I can actually help all of us get out of this mess before we lose our jobs?" He responded calmly as Kass moved back with a growl. "Come with me..." He said as he moved to the side room of his shop and ordered everyone in the room on break for the next half hour. "Right. Mister Grumpy came in barging in here just like you and demanded information about the Deadeyes I wasn't able to give. I said he  _might_ be able to find something in the Imps new high security lock up in Shadow Town that you need to go through their little warehouse in order to get to. That was...four days ago."

Kass's eyes narrowed as she growled in rage. "So you mean to tell me he's been gone for four days and you have done shit all in that time?!"

"What do you want me to do?! Go rushing in there with the Republic Army? Not only would we lose Hutt neutrality if this got out but also Zane demanding all our hides on his desk the following morning." Balkar hissed. "Look the only thing I can do is this, I pinned a tracking beacon on him just before he left. It ran out of power last night but I can give you his last known location from it...also we're going to need a disguise." he said as he looked her up and down.

"Oh hell no..." Kass held up a hand in refusal. "Not happening." 

Balkar gave her a look. "Do you want to rescue your boyfriend or not?"

"He's not my-" Kass started.

"Oh please, you gave yourself away the second you started raining hell on my shop. Now, my field. My rules. There's a fold out cover you can change behind and I'll have your armor returned to the ship so no traces to me or you are left here."

Kass growled again as she popped up the screen and began to change behind it while Balkar located clothes and draped them over the top without looking. "Balkar....this is showing too much." She complained as she pulled things on, feeling mildly uncomfortable as she stepped out from behind the screen. It was similar to her privateer outfit but sleeveless, it also exposed her slightly scarred midriff to Balkar's gaze and she felt even worse.

"Sorry. It was all I had in your size. Personally I think you look fine and the scars just add to the tough badass merc appearance." Balkar responded appreciatively and handed her a tie so she could tie her hair back. "Now then..." He muttered before digging around for a pack and a few other objects. "Here's what you'll need to go down there..."

Kass blinked at the pack, the pistol in its holster and the device. "I prefer my gun. Thanks." she said as she took the pack.

"That's non negotiable I'm afraid. No I'm not being sadistic, there's a legitimate reason." Balkar replied as he activated the device and disappeared from view. "This here is a stealth cloak. Smugglers will sometimes use it to get into places they don't belong. Imperial agents have something similar but theirs is more advanced than ours. We've tried reverse engineering the tech but the failure rate's been too high to get anything useful out of it and this one is a older model."

"That still doesn't explain the blaster pistol."

"I was getting to that." Balkar replied as he reappeared with a unimpressed expression. "Because this thing isn't as powerful as the Imps version it can only really cover smaller guns without causing some kind of distortion effect. Also, while it can cover two people you can only get away with it for a brief period of time before it overheats and needs to cool down for a minute or two."

Kass sighed and reluctantly took the gun and the stealth cloak. "Anything else?"

"Yes. Don't get close to people or droids with stealth detection. If you happen to see one wait five seconds after their little drones disappear. Beyond that....good luck."

* * *

 

Kass constantly checked her map to make sure she had the right direction as she wound her way through crates and things deeper into the Industrial Sector. She'd found the last known spot that Aric was picked up...along with a lot of blood. Her heart practically jumped in her throat at the sight and she hurried in stealth to follow the trail of darkened smears and the occasional hand print.

As she drew on the smears gradually became droplets that were more fresh and red until she reached a large stack of crates and her gaze fell upon a white boot sticking out behind them. Kass ran and near cried out in dismay at the sight of Aric, completely covered in blood from multiple wounds all over his body.

She knelt down beside him and gently rubbed his cheek with her hand. It spurred him into some form of life as his bare but cold hand snapped up and grabbed her wrist painfully, the claws he usually kept sheathed at all times dug into her skin and drew blood as he growled. "Hey, easy now. Its me." Kass said soothingly as she tried to keep her voice calm and even.

Aric slowly blinked as he recognised the voice. "Kass? No...no...you shouldn't be here. The Imps-" He shifted and yelped in pain before slumping against the crates again, letting go of her hand in the process. "-they'll be looking for me since I broke into their little prison."

"So I noticed..." Kass responded and pulled the pack free from her back and dredged around inside it for something to stabilize him. She found a kolo medpack and quickly stabbed it through the undersuit into his thigh which made him jump and groan.

"Kass...."

She placed a finger over his lips. "Just rest and let the kolto do its work alright. I'll get us out of this mess." Aric's eyes blinked slowly again before she felt the barest amount of pressure against her finger as he gave it a tiny kiss before she moved away from his side at the sound of angry voices.

"The rat will be here somewhere. Find him and bring him in for questioning!" a voice yelled. Kass's hand went for her rifle that she didn't have and she cursed Balkar and his need for secrecy. She'd have to get inventive with this...

Activating the stealth cloak she took note of a cannister that contained a kind of gas she knew would act as a smokescreen. So she got into position and waited until they were close enough before firing a shot from the blaster pistol before darting in to take them out one by one with a range of kicks and punches.

By the time the smoke cleared all four Imps were knocked out and her eyes were weeping but they were safe for the moment as she jogged back to Aric's side. "Still with me soldier?"

He faintly chuckled. "Always. Now and forever." he replied as he fought to remain awake as the combination between blood loss and shock was making him sleepy. When he felt that delightfully warm hand return to his cheek he made a noise of contentment and relaxed a bit as he borrowed on her strength to keep going.

Kass frowned at his response before reaching for her holocom and calling her friend Otheros. The white tiger striped cathar blinked at her in surprise. "Well well....not someone I ever expected to meet again since Hoth...how's life been K?"

"Could be better." she responded, her voice taking on a tone of urgency. "Listen Oth, I need a favor. A really big one."

Otheros' yellow eyes narrowed into a expression of concern. "Must be something big for you to be calling me out of the blue like this."

"Oh yeah...look I know you keep a medic on staff, specially trained in cathar physiology in case of personal emergency. I need to borrow them and stay somewhere safe to lay low for a while until I figure out what to do next."

Thankfully he didn't question her on it and he barked a order to someone in the room with him. "Leave your com signal on so I can track you but you need to get to a open area. I'll send a car over when you find a good spot. Just try and get whoever it is to hang on and I'll see you soon K."

"Thanks Oth." she responded and cut the line but left the signal running as she grabbed Aric's arms to help him up. "Come on grumpy. Get up so I can get you out of here."

Aric grunted as he got pulled to his feet and leaned heavily on Kass. "Who the hell was that?"

"A old friend of mine. Don't worry about that and focus on planting one foot in front of the other before those Imps wake up." Kass murmured as she adjusted to a better grip and started the long walk back.

"Y'know...while I was down I had a lot of time to think...about us and what we used to be." Aric grunted as he forced himself to keep moving despite the pain and exhaustion.

Kass risked a glance at him. "Oh really now?"

"Some more stuff came back. I think...I was actually going to propose to be mates right at graduation." He said then yelped as Kass tripped on something and jerked on his arm.

"N-not the best time to discuss it unless your intent is to guilt trip me." Kass sputtered.

"No...not that." He said quietly. "I don't know why I brought it up...sorry Kass."

A silence followed as they got into a area open enough so a car could land. "Don't be...if you still want to discuss it I'll do so when you're more lucid...provided you remember this entire conversation." She said right as Aric shifted closer and rubbed his cheek gently on the side of her face. Kass blinked at the gesture but Aric's knees were quickly buckling as he collapsed into unconsiousness.

* * *

Kass sat across the caf table from Otheros as they waited on Aric to regain consiousness in the next room. "Sorry for taking over your penthouse..." She ventured before the cathar waved a hand in dismissal.

"Don't worry about it. Its the least I can do for a old friend who saved my rear multiple times on Hoth." He replied with a small smile as he poured a glass of wine and sat back. "So...special forces now hmm?"

"Yeah...been a rough year. If I don't have one superior officer ordering me to go get things done, I have a politician or family instead." She said with a heavy sigh as the medic came out and left the door slightly open to let the heavy smell of kolto escape. Kass's head jerked up as the other cathar approached to give his report.

"The patient has been stabilized for now and will heal without too much scarring. You were lucky to find him when you did otherwise he wouldn't be living right now." The medic said as Kass frowned in worry.

"How long until he's able to be moved? I can't stay too long otherwise questions are going to be raised." Kass replied, her knee bouncing in a attempt to burn nervous energy off.

"About a further four days give or take just to ensure he's fully combat ready. For now though Otheros, if his condition deteriorates give me a call immediately." He said as Otheros nodded his thanks and indicated that he could leave.

He leaned forward and studied Kass closely. "K. You know I'd put you up if worse came to worse regarding home."

"I'm still annoyed you overheard that conversation." She growled and leaned back in her seat. "I can't Oth. They have most of my finances and job prospects tied under their control...and I really can't see myself working as a bouncer in your casino. I think I'd be blinded in two days because of the gold and lighting."

Otheros laughed deeply. "Its a good colour scheme...makes people think they're going to get lucky. Speaking of lucky, I've already found a way where you can pay me back since you're so keen on favor repayment. I have a bit of competition with the Lucky Runner casino but they aren't playing fair." He raised a hand to cut Kass off when she opened her mouth. "I know. This is Nar Shaddaa and no one plays fair but this goes beyond that. The head of their casino, a brat named Arkan, rose his way to the top through shady dealings and murder."

"What's this got to do with you?"

Otheros frowned as he finished his wine and poured another. "He came from the street and has been applying his practices to my customers. Trying to force me out of business and I won't sit by and watch while patrons are being slaughtered just because he doesn't know the meaning of healthy competition."

Kass's lips tightened. "I can't just run in there and shoot him Oth."

"I know. Which is why I devised a plan. About once a month the Bounty Broker Association holds a free for all in which anyone can make or accept a bounty contract. It goes for one week, completely legal before its outlawed again. I'll put a bounty up for Arkan then."

"I don't like this Oth. I don't like being a killer for hire." She said grimly. "But considering innocent people are getting shot over this crap then I'll do it. Hopefully I'll get my other missions out of the way with fast enough so I can help."

"Thanks K. I appreciate this." Otheros replied as a vague groan could be heard from the other room. "And it sounds like our guest is awake." 

Kass instantly got up from her seat and walked over to the other room as Aric struggled to sit up. His body was covered with bandages but he looked on his way to recovery despite physical exhaustion. "Hey..." she said with  relieved smile.

"Hey..." he responded before his gaze zeroed in Otheros who came to stand right behind her. "Who the hell's he?" He growled.

Kass opened her mouth to respond before Otheros pulled her back with a frown and took a long sniff at her cheek as Aric audibly snarled. "Well well....someone's cheeky." Otheros said with a grin as he let her go. "Down boy. I'm not interested in your mate and if you rip those sheets, you're paying for them."

Slowly Kass turned her head to stare down Aric. "Who is  _who's mate?_ " She hissed angrily at the bandaged cathar who shiftily gazed at a wall. "Anything else I should be aware of since I missed the memo of cathar courtship 101."

"Pretty much he's marking you as his to other cathar who might get the bright idea to hit on you. Oh and watch out for the teeth and claws since that's kind of another way we mark as well." 

Kass's gaze turned blank as Aric near melted into the sheets. "I think its time we have a discussion Jorgan." She said dangerously and shoved Otheros out of the room. "Don't bother coming back for a while." Otheros meanwhile just smirked and gave a wave to Aric as door shut in his face.

She turned around and stared hard at the guilty cathar. "Let's take this slow....huh?"

"I...wasn't thinking." he grumbled under her scrutiny.

"Clearly." She said before sitting on the side of the bed. "Aric look at me. What's really going on in that head of yours?"

It took him a little to respond and look at her. "I guess...deep down I'm afraid of losing you again. So on reflex I'm trying to keep you close in other ways."

Kass licked at her lip as she thought. "I'm not going anywhere dummy...but I need you to take it easy with the marking thing for the time being...I've already got enough of the others from the last time we hooked up." Aric just blinked and she could have sworn under the fur he was actually blushing and she chuckled. "Wow. I've never heard you be so open before."

He made a unimpressed noise and waved a hand. "Yeah yeah...just...just don't blab about it." He said as he sighed.

"Why would I? What goes on between us is just between us after all." She replied with a small smile and leaned in closer to kiss his cheek. It felt hot under her touch and she chuckled again as he turned his head to capture her lips. She felt Aric's hand come up to bury into her hair as he deepened the kiss but it wasn't long before he groaned in pain.

"Damn...I wish I'd been more careful now." He grumbled and he nuzzled her forehead and sighed. "If its not too much trouble would you mind staying with me? I have issues waking up in unfamiliar places."

"I won't hurt you will I?" She asked cautiously as he shook his head. Carefully she moved to pull off her boots and part of her blood covered clothing and caught Aric staring at her with a hot gleam in his eyes. "Hey, get out of the gutter. I'm not even thinking about that until after three dates at least."

"Man you drive a hard bargain." He teased but he was grinning faintly. "But I'll hold you to it."

Kass smiled and joined him under the sheets as he shifted to make room with a wince. She caught it and softly kissed his forehead in a tender gesture before settling her head on the pillow beside his. Oddly it didn't take her long to fall into a deep slumber but she did vaguely feel herself being pulled closer into a warm, furry but bandaged chest and it made her dreams all the sweeter.


	25. Friendly History

Aric slowly woke up among soft sheets and felt around in the bed with a deep relaxed sigh. He frowned as he found it empty and cold and quickly roused himself, sitting up with a pained grimace. Kass's side of the bed was untidy so it looked like she'd been awake for quite a while but he still felt paranoid she'd gone somewhere and wasn't coming back again.

As he looked around he noticed a set of clean clothes along with a pair of boots sitting on a dresser and he eased himself from bed to get dressed and explore. The fabric was softer than what he was used to and clearly cost a lot of credits, regardless it was extremely comfortable and he wandered out from the bedroom to see if he could locate Kass somewhere.

In the lounge outside he saw her familiar red hair and instantly relaxed at the sight before making a noise to catch her attention. Her head jerked as she was startled and she looked over her shoulder at him and smiled widely. "Hey sleepy head. Nice to see you up and around."

"Good to be back on my feet and not bleeding out in Imp hands." He responded as she shifted and patted the couch cushion beside her. Aric moved willingly and sat down, noting how despite the clear overspending in furniture it was actually rather comfortable. "So, do I get a explanation of where I am?"

Kass opened her mouth right as the door opened and the white cathar appeared, caught his eye and let out a sly smirk which got his hackles raised fast. "Welcome to the penthouse of the Haven's Blaze Casino. I am Otheros and a old friend of K's over there."

Aric blinked as the man walked over and took a seat on the opposite side of the caf table. "K?"

"I went by that on Hoth rather than have people use my full name over the radio. Harder to identify me as a threat that way and for all the Imps knew I was just some random soldier...not the person who sabotaged several of their minor operations there." She elaborated as she shifted so her shoulder was touching Aric's slightly.

Otheros laughed. "I remember the look on their faces when you caused that icetromper stampede right through their camp. Ahhh good times."

Aric just slowly blinked in confusion. "Wait...what?"

"I take it you need the full story fluffball?" Otheros asked with a grin as Aric glared at him.

"I would appreciate that, yes."

"Fair enough." Otheros replied as he gestured for a protocol droid to pour them specialised caf...and a hot chocolate for Kass which she sighed deeply at in pleasure before taking a drink.

"Where to begin..." Otheros murmured thoughtfully. "When I was stationed on Hoth, K had already been there several months ahead of me. She'd earned a bit of a reputation for being the base's ice queen and wasn't all that responsive toward company of any kind despite people hitting on her like crazy." Kass's lips tightened at that but otherwise she said nothing and let him continue. "I got stuck with her for scouting missions at first since the brass thought I'd blend in well with the snow. After the first two missions together I was beginning to see why she got the nickname."

"Like talking to a durasteel wall." Kass slipped in as she drank and Aric raised a brow at her.

"Exactly." He agreed before continuing. "She just wouldn't respond at all to my questions about herself but anything mission based she talked. It was creepy as hell considering how much she sounded like a droid. One night back at base, I get up and find her using the big private holocom to make a call. Turned out she was talking with her old man but the look on her face when she finished..." He paused and actually shuddered. "There was nothing there. It was like someone had come along and just sucked whatever life remained from her body."

Kass's fingers tapped on the cup thoughtfully. "I busted his ass and avoided him for days after that."

Otheros nodded quietly. "Next assignment we had together she nearly got herself killed by the Imps because she was a idiot and wasn't paying attention on a routine scout, had to jam her into the kolto tank myself back at base. But after that she opened up-"

"That's putting it lightly!" Kass scoffed. "Threatened to have the brass come in and have me removed from service unless I told you everything."

"Details details." He replied while waving a hand. "It helped you to vent it all didn't it?" Kass just grumbled in response and he smiled more gently. "After that, she opened up and really talked. I began to see why she didn't let herself get close to people on the team so I acted as a confidant. Someone she could vent to or let off steam when things got too bad. She could scream out into the snow all she wanted and no one would hear her but me." Otheros teased as he caught Aric growling out loud, at least until he yelped in pain because Kass kicked him under the table.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop antagonizing my...partner." Kass said as she shifted in her seat when Aric instantly stopped growling to look at her.

"Aww. But its so much fun" Otheros said as he rubbed his shin with a wince. "Since you asked..." 

Rolling her eyes, Kass turned to look at Aric who still had his familiar scowl but his gaze was unsure. "Oth's exotic tastes only apply to furnishings and antiques. Not his women. So you can cool your jets alright?"

Aric blinked and shuffled in his seat as he felt heat crawling up the back of his neck. "So...how does a Republic grunt end up owning a Nar Shaddaa casino?"

"Dumb luck and being in the right place at the right time. After I quit the military I hopped on the first transport to Nar Shaddaa, hoping to find something other than answering to hardasses to tide me over until I figured out what I wanted. So I began working for some minor casino as one of the bouncers, its scary just how much people talk when they think you're more muscle than brain, so I used that to my advantage. Worked my way into the inner circle and began negotiating deals with the other local casinos until I met the original owner of this establishment." Otheros said as he drained his caf and placed the empty cup on the table. "He liked how I was one of the more 'honest ones', how I played smart without getting too greedy but above all I looked after the people working under me. He wanted that in a prospective owner after his previous heir got themselves shot by the Cartel because he pissed off the wrong Hutt. After he died this place fell to me and I've been taking good care of it ever since."

"And on and off he's been messaging me about some of the more amusing aspects of his clientele which is why you've seen me grinning for no reason." Kass said as she drained her own cup.

Aric looked down at his cup, he temperature had now gotten more tepid for his tastes but he drank it down regardless and managed to keep his disgust from appearing on his face. "I guess I owe you a debt of thanks. For not just supporting Kass but also for allowing me to stay here."

"Don't worry about it. Its the least I can do for a old friend and her partner." Otheros replied with a small grin as his com sounded. "And with that I believe someone needs my attention. If you need anything else the droid over there will fetch it for you but I may be some time." He got up with a grunt and left the room with a serious expression on his face.

Aric shifted uneasily. "How long are we going to be stuck here?"

"A few more days. I want to make sure you're fully healed before we leave in case any more Imps get the bright idea to track you down." Kass said as she pulled up a datapad from the caf table. "This was in your armor...which I need to have fun replacing. What is it?"

"A encrypted set of coordinates. When I got to the prison the Deadeyes were no longer there. By searching the central computer I found that they'd been shipped off somewhere but the rest of the data was encrypted." Aric replied. "I got careless and was spotted after I downloaded them. Tried to take care of them on my own but more kept coming thanks to the alarm so I had to run."

Kass sighed. "I'm not sure whether to be angry or grateful." She said before looking at him. "I'm going to put in the call to Balkar, see if he can help decrypt the coordinates but don't be surprised if his favors are on short supply. I nearly choked him to try and get information to find you."

His green eyes went wide. "Okay...remind me not to piss you off." He said but his tone sounded flattered as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Pulling out her holocom she made a call to Balkar who scowled up at her. "Woah. What got you in a grump today?"

"How about Havoc patches being sighted at the Imperial prison? Orrr some feral woman being caught on camera beating the crap out of four guards? Whatever happened to keeping a low profile?" Balkar complained.

"Hey you didn't get called feral." Kass replied sarcastically before sighing. "How bad's the situation?"

Balkar rested his hands on his hips as he frowned. "Bad. Zane's trying to find out how someone from Havoc knew about the Imp prison and he's turning the department upside down to find the leak but don't be surprised if you get a call in the near future."

"Lovely." Aric grumbled as Kass elbowed him gently.

"I know its a long shot but I need a final favor. We got some encrypted coordinates that we can't decode and was wondering if you could." Kass said as Balkar stared balefully.

"You're really asking me to risk my neck here." He growled before sighing in defeat. "You're lucky I can't say no to a pretty face. Look, I have a guy in SigInt who owes me a favor so I'll put you in contact with him. Hopefully he'll be able to crack the encryption before Zane notices or finds out I was the one who told you." 

Kass turned her head to Aric. "We couldn't have done this without Balkar. I think you owe him your thanks."

He instantly scowled and looked at some other corner of the room. "Fine. Balkar. Thanks." he growled eventually, making Kass shake her head in amusement.

"Hey, anything for you Jorgan." He said cheerily before closing the line.

Kass just smiled in Aric's direction until he caught on. "....what?"

"Feeling better now?" She asked before carefully leaning on his shoulder.

"A bit...but I'll feel a lot better knowing the Deadeyes are back home where they belong. Not out in Imp custody..." He admitted before resting his head on hers and closing his eyes. "When we get back to the ship I'll get in contact with that guy from SigInt...but Kass?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for risking yourself to come rescue me. It....it means a lot that you did that." Aric murmured quietly before shifting and kissing the top of her head. "Think you can set some time free in your schedule to come out for dinner with me on Coruscant?"

Kass smiled as she relaxed. "Is that a invitation for a date, Aric Jorgan?"

"Maybe...but do you think you can?" 

She had to think about that for a little while. "I think Garza has something lined up for us soon but after that then I'm fairly sure I can find the time."

Aric smiled to himself as he burrowed further into her hair and quietly made plans for the future and what they would do together.


	26. Busted

 

Kass wandered around the main banquet hall feeling...well..not just out of place but rather bored and miserable. Being among the nobles of Alderaan was its own kind of special torture in comparison to the ones at home. The people here were a thousand times more open in their disdain and disgust of her and her crew. With Aric they were more disgusted he was a alien, with Dorne it was her accent, Forex was treated like a servant but he at least managed to make himself at home among the younger children and teenagers, with Kass it was the scarring the borrowed dress exposed on her back and arms.

In truth she had really just wanted to hop back on the ship and fly off but Duke Organa insisted they remain and join the festivities since they helped remove a general of House Thul. At least the Duke seemed to dedicated to his people so she took that for a plus as she wandered around the room and found Dorne.

"You look as bad as I feel right now Dorne." Kass greeted and they walked together to a quieter end of the room as the music started.

"Is it really that obvious sir?" Dorne replied with a small wry expression as Kass nodded. "To be honest I'm much more at home with my books or working on improvements to first aid treatment but this..." She sighed deeply.

Kass nodded in understanding. "No. I get the sentiment entirely. Its dull, its boring and the gossip is just....ugh."

"Exactly." Replied Dorne with a smile. "I have to admit you also look miserable too."

"Hey, when you've seen one then you've seen them all. All in all I've overheard three affairs, one illegitimate baby, several negotiations, five arranged marriages with at least two of them unwilling... Its like watching a soap opera." Kass grumbled as she folded her arms. "The only one having a fun time is Forex as he's telling stories of our exploits to the kids. Even Ar...Jorgan's either getting insulted or having people ask to touch his fur." She caught sight of yet another one approaching Aric and narrowed her eyes into a cold glare. The girl quickly got the message and backed off, leaving in a state of confused annoyance until he busted Kass's expression.

Kass cleared her throat quickly and looked away. "I think I'm going to get another drink." she mumbled before leaving Dorne quickly as the former Imperial blinked in confusion. She didn't stop until she got outside the room and onto a balcony that looked over the main greeting hall. There she braced her hands on the rail and tried to quell her embarrassment at being discovered.

"So...do I have you to thank for scaring off that noble woman?" Came a somewhat amused voice from behind her which made her jump. There, leaning against the nearby pillar, was Aric in the formal tuxedo he somehow had stashed away somewhere. When Kass didn't respond and instead looked shifty he smirked a little. "Well well...I didn't know you had a jealousy streak in you."

"Yes well back in the Academy I didn't have to worry about random women asking if they could touch your fur over and over." Kass replied with a frown. "Conversation is fine. Its the touching thing I don't like."

He tilted his head a little before straightening and coming to stand beside her. "You know you're the only one on my mind right?"

After a deep sigh she nodded. "I know. I'll try and knock it off so it doesn't get too creepy...or obvious when we're in company like this."

At that Aric shifted closer and gently held her bare arms. "Its fine...don't beat yourself up over a old man like me."

That caused her to snort in amusement. "Are you still upset at that?"

"A bit. Its admittedly insulting when someone as old as Gearbox calls you a old man to boot." He growled as he rubbed his thumbs over her shoulders but Kass smiled and he felt better knowing it helped her mood. "You don't think I'm  _that_ old, do you?"

"Please. There's only about a year and several months between us. Even if you were older you're perfect just as you are." Kass replied as she reached up and gently rubbed her hand over the fur of his cheek. She watched his eyes darken somewhat before his head dipped and he softly kissed her.

She sighed in bliss as she returned his kiss, the world around them seeming to melt away as all she could focus on was the touch of his lips and his unique taste. That was at least until she heard a loud gasp and Kass pulled away to find Dorne staring at them open mouthed in sheer shock. 

Kass's cheeks instantly flared with heat and Aric rubbed the back of his neck in awkward embarrassment as they just stood there staring at one another. "D-Dorne...I can explain..." she started but Dorne held up a hand.

"We...we'll discuss it on the ship...sir. I'll inform Forex that we'll be leaving promptly." Dorne replied and swiftly went back to the feast to go fetch the droid.

Aric and Kass just stood there in awkward silence and shame at being busted before Kass noticed something stuck to his lips and fur. "Uh...you have my lipstick on your face."

He sighed deeply. "Can you help me get it off?" he asked and she nodded. Wetting her thumb and gently rubbing the make up in question off. "We're definitely screwed aren't we?"

"Yyyyup." She replied.

"And knowing Dorne and her attachment to the regs, she'll inform Garza and we'll either be split or thrown out of Havoc. More likely the latter considering the news'll probably spread to your family."

"Probably." Kass replied grimly. Not enjoying the prospect of losing him again.

Aric sighed again and closed his eyes before taking her hands. "Look...if worse comes to worse and we do get thrown out...I want you to stay with me. It doesn't matter what happens but...I'll admit it and say that I don't want to let you go. Not again."

For a moment Kass was tempted to crack a joke, try and lighten the situation. But she could see in his eyes that he was serious. "What about serving the Republic? Earning the cathar a place?"

"There's other ways to serve the Republic. They may not be as glamorous as Havoc Squad but...." Aric stopped and looked at her. There were words and things that he wanted to say despite them being way too soon to speak aloud but he realised while Kass was away on the RERC mission to Cademimu that a lot of the feelings he had for her during the Academy were still there and had only gotten stronger since coming clean on Ord Mantell. Because he cared for her and what she wanted, he was perfectly willing to take things at her pace. He was sure of one thing though, unless Kass wanted to end their relationship, he wanted to be with her and be by her side always.

Kass felt that things were a lot deeper than what Aric was letting on and she sighed. "We'll take things one step at a time. See what Dorne does first and if worse comes to worse...then I'll go with you while we...sort things out. If that's alright?"

He nodded. "You better go change back then and inform the Duke we're leaving. I'll meet you in the hanger but we'll face whatever comes together."

She smiled at that and nodded before taking a deep breath and going to change and update the Duke that they had to go.

* * *

 

Aric felt like a kit again as Dorne paced the briefing room with a frown. On a seat beside him, Kass had her fingers tightening into the fabric of her pants to the point her knuckles had gone white but there wasn't anything he could do, not with Dorne staring straight at them.

"How long has this been going on?" Dorne asked, the sudden tension snap making them both jump.

"Four months..." Aric said after some thought and counting of the days. "Though we've known each other for longer than that."

"How long?" Dorne questioned, making Kass wince.

"That's....harder to explain." He replied as Kass shiftly glanced at the opposite end of the room. Dorne raised a eyebrow and looked to Kass.

"Effectively we've known each other for a decade. Been formally together for near three of our Academy years and broke up for the rest until after you came aboard the ship and we fought the Shadow Fist." Kass replied before launching into the story of her family, resulting depression and why she hadn't remembered Aric until Coruscant when the memories started returning. Aric also did the same regarding his injury and Dorne's lips tightened.

"I figured such a injury would have resulted in memory loss. I wasn't sure how extensive it was during your physical." She said before stopping her pacing. "I'll be honest sir...I'm actually at a loss for what to do. Part of me knows that I should go straight to General Garza according to Conduct Code 68 B-9 but...you've both been so kind to me and accepting despite my heritage. All people hear is my accent but you vouched for me for Captain Kalor, Jorgan and you allowed me to reunite with my brother Aleksei...there...there just isn't enough words to describe how much this all means to me. Call me selfish if you like but...I don't want to lose that. Not for a fast promotion. Not for anything in the galaxy. You....you aren't just my colleagues...but you are my friends too."

Kass blinked before she stood up and suddenly drew the other woman into a tight hug. Dorne's reaction was to instantly stiffen but she cautiously relaxed and hugged back despite her uncomfortableness with public displays of affection. "Thank you Dorne...so very much."

"I had my suspicions after I heard Jorgan leaving his room at precisely 23:08 each night since you returned from Cademimu. They just weren't confirmed until today." Dorne replied as she moved back. "For the record Jorgan, if it was anyone besides me I doubt that they would have noticed the change in your sleeping pattern."

"....I don't know whether to be amused or disturbed you paid attention to what I was doing. Regardless. Thank you on both our behalves Dorne." Aric said with a small smile as Dorne nodded and quietly left, seeming happier and content than she had been for a while.

Kass looked to him and he stood up, instantly drawing her into a tight embrace. "I'm glad we don't have to resort to the back up plan."

"Mhm" He replied as he buried into her hair before reluctantly letting her go. "You should probably go update Garza before it gets too late. With this it just leaves Wraith and Tavus to go so we're nearly at the end of this bantha chase."

"I'll be glad when it ends...for more than one reason." She said, looking him up and down with a hint of heat in her gaze.

Aric felt himself instantly react and he waved a hand to shoo her out. "Behave you and go report. Otherwise I'll be too tempted to break that three date rule."

Kass just laughed brightly as she left the room to go update Garza that Gearbox was now neutralized so they could now focus on Tavus.


	27. Confronting Tavus

With a expression of determination, Kass strode into the briefing room with the train to her armor swishing behind her. Forex, Aric and Dorne were already sitting and waiting since she called the meeting and she was a few minutes late as she was stuck in Coruscant's traffic after confirming things with Garza and picking up certain supplies.

"Okay. This is it people. The real thing this time." Kass said as she reached the podium. "General Garza just confirmed that Tavus is on his last legs with his squad...and also the Empire, since a certain squad kept throwing a hydrospanner into his plans."

Aric quietly smirked while Dorne nodded. "Good. Can't say he didn't deserve it."

"Settle down, Jorgan." Kass admonished before continuing. "Tavus's status within the Empire is also a double edged sword. If the Empire does lose patience then Tavus and Wraith will no doubt be taken into Imperial custody. From there Tavus can spill out our operations, how Havoc Squad works, how we think and plan. The damage would be irreparable. Because of that, we need to take advantage of this chance."

"Excellent! I look forward to unleashing the full might of the Republic on those lowly Imperial vermin." Forex replied. "How will we proceed, sir?"

"I was getting to that Forex. Anyway...Garza has informed me that Tavus put the call out to Alderaan, Tatooine and other planets so he could gather up the remaining fellow sympathisers into one place. A ship called the Justice....I know, ironic name. In any case, we need to move fast because once he catches wind that his last two operations are gone he won't be staying around."

Kass activated the screen behind her, showing the class and design of the Justice. "We'll be stopping just outside of the ship's sensor range and docking at a Republic vessel which will have a smaller shuttle at the ready for our use. Once aboard we'll split into two teams. Dorne and I will be on one team to make introductions and small talk so we can successfully infiltrate the ship. Jorgan and Forex, you two will stay aboard the shuttle and be our backup fire support."

"From the main hanger, Dorne and I will make our way to the hyperdrive and disable it. From there the alarm will be raised and Tavus will know we're there. Team Two will cut off anyone from reaching engineering until Team One can come back and regroup. Once done, the teams will switch members so Jorgan comes with me and Dorne goes with Forex. Team One will go to the cockpit where Tavus will most likely be waiting and Team Two will take up fire support and block any incoming enemy forces. Last thing we need is a group opening fire on us during the final showdown."

"What about Wraith, sir?" Dorne questioned.

"I want open com lines between all of us. If Wraith shows we all need to be aware which team she's attacking. If worse comes to worse and she can't be taken down then the teams will regroup and work together. Its overkill but sometimes we need to be thorough." Kass replied as her lips tightened. "Any more questions?"

They all shook their heads and Kass nodded. "Well then. Dismissed. Dorne and I will go shove on our disguises then while you set course Jorgan." She said before the team got up and set off to do their individual assignments in preparation for the infiltration.

* * *

 

Aric was too focused on piloting the ship correctly into the hanger to really pay attention to anything going on around him. Once the Thunderclap had safely touched down he finally turned around and blinked in shock at the woman behind him. It was Kass...but not Kass at the same time. She'd really gone full monty with the disguise, being dressed in Imp armor that was a little too small judging by how it clung to her frame. Her hair was a dark reddish brown instead of its usual vibrant red and done into a tight regulation bun and she'd even put in coloured contacts to change her eyes to a brown colour. "....think you went a bit overkill?"

"I wanted to be thorough since Tavus would no doubt put my appearance out among his lackeys. Sure he underestimated us but he's no idiot....albeit my head hurts like crazy since I needed Dorne's help to pin it all in place." Kass replied with a sigh.

Aric got up from his seat and approached her. His fingers reaching up to lightly touch the tightly pulled hair and frowned when she winced. "I think for future reference you should probably grow it out a bit. That way you won't be in as much pain. Otherwise I think I prefer classic Kass but that's just me."

"Warts and all?" She asked with a small smile. 

"Warts and all." He agreed and smiled. "Just be careful. There's no telling where Wraith could be hiding in there but she'll be directly keeping a eye out for you and me." 

"That's why I wanted open comms...and you be careful too. The people will put up a fight once they realise that the true Havoc is back and aboard their ship." 

His smile turned into a smirk. "Hey. I've got incentive for coming back in one piece. There's a date to plan after all..." He said before he sobered and gently rested his forehead on hers. "I'll be careful though. Promise."

There was a vague sensation of rubbing against the fur of his forehead before she moved away. "We need to go." She said quietly.

Aric nodded and followed her onto the small shuttle. There Kass went over the plan one more time before she and Dorne left the shuttle, leaving him and Forex behind. It didn't take long for the antsy knee jumping to begin as he sat and waited for the sign. 

"Eager to give the Imps a taste of Republic justice?" Forex asked as the droid looked at him.

"In a way. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to pay back the old Havoc for what they've done, Forex. I'm just hoping we'll get through this in one piece." Aric said.

"Have no fear, sir. The lieutenant's superior Republic training will ensure that the mission will succeed successfully." Forex replied cheerily at least until the sound of a throat being cleared could be heard on the other end of the coms.

"You do realise we both can hear you right?" Kass said with a hint of amusement in her tone.

Heat flared up the back of Aric's neck as he forgot the open com channel. "Uh...sorry sir. We'll stop clogging up the line."

"See that you do." She murmured. "We're coming up on the hyperdrive now. Be prepared to move because I'll need to sound the alarm to boot these guys out."

Aric grabbed the rifle from over his shoulder as he looked to Forex. The droid had his gun raised and was eager to go. "Keep it to wounding shots unless they're stubborn Forex. Despite them being traitors they're still our people."

"Affirmative." Forex replied as a explosion was heard over the com and the alarms started blaring.

From there Aric sprung into action with Forex close behind. They took advantage of the chaos to slip through the main hanger and from there they engaged the Imps and forces trying to get through to the elevator. It wasn't long before he heard Kass say "Hello, Wraith." loud enough so he could hear it over the fighting and he grit his teeth. Working together with Forex to keep everyone away while the sounds of more battle sounded in his ear.

It was suddenly as though someone had flipped a switch. The mobs stopped and the Imps which were in the process of charging moved back to regroup. The fighting in his ear had also stopped but he heard panting noises which worried him. Soon the elevator doors opened and Kass and Dorne staggered out. "Are you two okay?" He growled, looking over them with concern.

"We're fine. Wraith gave us a bit of a run for our money but she's neutralized." Kass responded as she patted Dorne on the back. "I have to admit your combat skills are coming along quite nicely." She said as Dorne chuckled.

"I still have a long way to go, sir." She said as she caught her breath and straightened. "Its time for the switch."

Kass nodded. "Ready to get payback?"

"Its about time." Aric responded and tightened the grip on his rifle. "Tavus needs to pay for what he's done."

She nodded once again. "Keep to the plan people. Next stop is the cockpit." with that Kass set off at a run to the next lift that would take them to the command deck.

Aric kept close behind as their teams split off once again. Dorne and Forex covering the rear with him and Kass going to confront Tavus. He'd spent a long time thinking about what he'd do once he got his hands on the guy, the one man who systematically ruined his career but was also the the catalyst behind how he and Kass found each other again. As a result deep down he felt conflicted so he decided to see what Kass would decide, after all. She was still his CO.

"Lieutenant. It seems that no matter how hard I try, I can't have any kind of gathering without you. Then again I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You were a member of Havoc just like the rest of us. I suppose you belong here in some twisted way." Tavus said as he turned around from the console he was typing at.

Kass just folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Tavus. You've got nothing to do with Havoc Squad since you abandoned it. Since you turned traitor."

That seemed to get his temper flaring. "I am Havoc Squad, Lieutenant. Kardan, me, Wraith, Gearbox, Needles and Fuse. We were Havoc Squad. You are nothing. You should be thanking me really. I imagine killing all of my closest friends and comrades has been good for your career." He replied as he smiled coldly at her.

"You son of a-... If you'd pulled your head out of your ass long enough you'd have realised by now that's not how I operate and never has been." Kass spat. "Kardan and Fuse both surrendered. Actually your Imperial buddies tried to leave Fuse to die in a base set on self destruct. If it wasn't for me he'd likely be dead right now."

Tavus was silent as he searched her face but saw truth staring straight back. "So you did do something right after all...but that hardly makes up for the rest...Draeth." His voice went deeper in rage. "Nothing can absolve what you and your family have done. But guess what? I'm glad you've come. I'm glad you intercepted the signal and glad you've butchered the last of my loyal soldiers. I'm glad that your blasted father opened my eyes to the Republic's foolishness and I'm glad you're here...because it means I get to kill you myself and deliver your head to daddy dearest."

Kass looked somewhere between furious and being sick to her stomach as she pulled out her gun. "Lets finish this then."

Aric followed her lead and put the former Havoc Squad leader in his sights. "This is for Ord Mantell Tavus." He growled as Tavus just smirked and grabbed his gun.

The fight was intense. It was like fighting Kass if she doubled her power and Tavus's defence was hard to get around. In a way it kind of surprised him just how tough a true Havoc Squad veteran could be but he could see that Tavus's age was getting the better of him and he was tiring quickly under his and Kass's onslaught. Finally he raised a hand in surrender and dropped to one knee as he held his hand over a wound in his side.

"Ungh....I....this is it isn't it? This is all I have to show, for everything I've done. Everything I tried to achieve..." Tavus mumbled, earning a roll of Aric's eyes.

"There's nothing left Tavus. Just end it already and stop moping." He growled.

"I...you...what have I done? They're dead....they agreed with me....they followed me. They died because of me." Tavus continued as the gravity of the situation sunk in.

Kass stowed her gun away and proceeded to disarm Tavus entirely. Her face was carefully blank as she moved away, holding his weapons. "For what it may be worth, I'm apologising to you for Ando Prime. Since the man himself will never do it. Prick that he is."

"Hah...insulting your old man...to be frank I can't accept it. He screwed with far too much to be forgiven and you....you I'm not sure of. Look...don't kill me, Lieutenant...I can help you. I've learned things. Intel....about the Empire. Bring me in and take me to Garza. Let me undo some of the damage." He said as Kass shook her head.

"You're going in alive but you're going to be court martialed." Kass said calmly but her voice was tight at his bargaining.

"Trial? What's the point? Traitors are executed. You might as well just shoot me now and get it over with." 

"Tavus!" She roared in rage which startled him and Aric beside her. "You cowardly son of a Hutt. I am  _not_ playing judge, jury and executioner because you're too scared to face up to the consequences of your actions. You started this on Ord Mantell. You followed through on Coruscant, Taris, Nar Shaddaa, Tatooine and Alderaan. You had every damn opportunity to back out and come quietly but you didn't. How utterly pathetic."

The two men blinked at Kass's fury but she was focused solely on Tavus. "I will drag your ass in front of the judge if I have to but you are  _not_ running way from this." she hissed as movement came from behind her and she quickly pulled up her side arm. She blinked as she saw Dorne and Forex closely followed by Garza. On reflex she saluted as Garza took in the situation.

"Take him away." She said to the soldiers at the door who rushed to her command and placed Tavus in cuffs. His gaze was focused squarely on the floor as he passed by without a word.

"You'll have to forgive me if I'm not overly chatty right now, General." Kass said, her voice very cold.

"No. Its understandable under the circumstances. I'm both pleased and impressed that you pulled this off. Tavus and his followers could have pulled the Republic military apart piece by piece but you stopped him before he could. That's some feat in of itself." Garza replied with a small nod.

"I couldn't have done it without my team or Sergrant Jorgan." Kass said, refusing to take sole commendation.

"Thanks, Lieutenant. I'm glad I got the chance to help you hunt those traitors down." Aric replied, keeping his voice neutral but deep down he was concerned.

"We'll be staying to search the ship for intelligence while the hyperdrive is reactivated but there's no need for you to remain as well. I'd say you've earned some leave, Lieutenant. Take some time off then return to my office on Coruscant when you're ready to discuss another assignment for Havoc Squad." Garza replied as Kass gave her a serious look. "Is there something you wished to discuss, Lieutenant."

"One thing. I don't especially care what information you get out of Tavus but I want you to promise me that he'll be court martialed. Not just taken away and hidden somewhere. He needs to pay for all he's done and the deaths he's caused because of his foolishness." Kass said as Garza narrowed her eyes.

"I assure you he will be punished appropriately. Dismissed." She said, making it clear that this was the end of the discussion but Kass just stared at Garza in silence for a moment longer before she started leaving.

"No you won't..." Aric could hear her mumble as they walked together back to the shuttle that would take them back home.


	28. First Date

The following days since Tavus's arrest were tense to say the least. Kass had docked at Coruscant and had to return briefly to her family while the remainder of the crew was on shore leave for the time being.

Dorne and Aric were the only ones to return back to the Thunderclap in the evenings and they were the ones to see Kass as she returned late one night. The expression on her face looking like she was about to burst into angry tears but when questioned on it she remained mute or fobbed it off by saying she had a little too much to drink. Something Aric knew was a direct lie. 

The final straw that broke the nerf's back came when Kass had recieved mail during breakfast in the morning. One moment it was quiet, the next it was broken by loud curses against General Garza as Kass stomped down the stairs to her room. Aric went upstairs to the mailbox to see what the fuss was about and in her haste Kass had forgotten to log out of her mail. 

One of the most recently written letters was from none other than Tavus. Aric's fingers gripped the sides of the holoterminal as he read through the details. Despite Kass's insistence on him being court martialed, he'd struck up a deal with General Garza since she seemed 'the more reasonable sort'. Sure he'd be staying in a closed facility of some kind but he wouldn't be paying for his crimes in the way they should either.

The other was from a woman named Laena Draeth which was basically nothing but insults against Kass's intellect, her stubborn silence at the last party, how she should have gotten the disgusting scars removed by now and why must she continue to be a complete waste of space by not obeying her as a good daughter should. 

Aric paused at the second letter and sighed deeply as he understood why Kass hated going home. He knew of her father and his iron fist of control over the family but he didn't know she got it from her mother too. Quickly he closed out the mail and made a decision as he walked to Kass's bedroom and opened the door. Luckily she was dressed and was just sitting on her bed, fuming in repressed anger. "Get changed. Preferrably into something nice and come with me. You've got ten minutes." he ordered before leaving a sputtering Kass behind him.

He waited outside the ship after changing quickly into full civilian clothing and it wasn't all that long before Kass appeared looking mildly annoyed. "This better be important." She growled.

"It is. Now come with me." He growled back and escorted her to the Senate Gardens. He could see Kass gradually growing more irritated but he pointed her to a seat under a tree. "Wait there. I'll be back shortly." He said before running back to the cantina they visited together back when the hunt for Tavus first started.

The owner raised a brow at the unusual request for a large container of mixed food and some drinks but didn't complain at the credits as the food was put together. By the time Aric had come back she was positively furious, at least until she saw the container and then her expression changed to annoyed confusion. "Do I get a explanation as to why you dragged me out here?" she asked.

"You needed a break. A real one, Kass." Aric said as he sat down on the bench beside her. "I know about Tavus...and your mother and I'm sorry."

Kass looked about ready to throttle him but deeply sighed. "I forgot to log out of my mail. Of course..." she said as Aric passed her a bottle of water.

"I would have left it alone but curiosity got the better of me. I figured Garza would have grabbed Tavus for her own needs since he is a mine of information on Imp operations and he could tell us where Gorik is." Aric said as he opened the container between them and grabbed a sandwich. "But why haven't you left home?"

"Because my family on both sides has a very tight fist of control over virtually every aspect on my life ranging fron career to finances and we already know one of them is vindictive enough to screw me over if I don't obey." Kass gripped onto the water bottle as she focused on the view. "Funny how I'm only really their daughter when I fit into their expectations. If it wasn't for that I'd have probably ended up like my twin."

Aric frowned. "I thought you said she ran away."

"Oh she did. As soon as father could, he disowned her in every way possible and left her with nothing. She kept the name oddly enough but I think that's more to rub it into their faces that she's still alive and kicking despite how mother vehemently denies that's one of her children." Kass sounded tired now as the anger slowly burned away and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders."

"Is there any way out of the situation?"

"Not right now. I'm looking for some kind of way out and if the chance ever comes then I'll take it but for now I'm stuck."

Aric frowned before digging around in one of his pockets before passing her a package and watched as she blinked in confusion. "A late birthday and marginally early Life Day gift. Just open it before you say anything."

Kass raised a eyebrow at him before shifting the bottle to her lap and opened it up. Blinking in surprise when a keycard and a pendant fell out. She held up the latter and noticed the stone had a blue grey colour that nearly matched her eyes but the keycard was confusing her and she held it up. "What's this?"

"That...is a key to my place. I bought it but never used it outside of when I was doing my officer training so its probably one big dustball in there. I noticed how you'd been down the past few days so I had a copy made so at least you have somewhere to go when we're back on Coruscant and fully relax. No cameras and- mmff?!" He was surprised when Kass suddenly shifted, grabbing his head and kissing him hard. It took a moment for him to recover but he grabbed at her waist, trying to pull her closer against him despite the food container trapped between their thighs.

A loud gasp caught his attention and he fought with the desire to continue as he pulled away and noticed a human man covering the eyes of a child as they passed by. "How utterly shameful, behaving like this in public like animals in heat." the man said, continuing to herd the child away.

"Why is it becoming a thing lately that we keep getting disturbed every time we have a minute alone together?" Aric growled as he removed his hands from Kass's body. She looked better though, more happy as she reached in the container for a sandwich and he noted how her lips were a even brighter red now from their kiss. A feeling of pride rose from within him and he opened his bottle of water.

"I think...in a second we should probably move somewhere more private. But thank you for the gifts Aric. I needed that." She said before closing the container. "I think this makes one date down, two to go?"

"If you like." He responded as he closed his drink and got up, extending his hand out to her. "Shall we?"

Kass picked up the container and her water and took his hand. Delighting in the warmth she felt as he gave it a squeeze and brought it up to his lips. It earned him a small blush which he chuckled at as they made their way to the skycars.

* * *

 

Kass blinked and coughed at the sight of Aric's apartment. He wasn't kidding when he said it was likely one massive dustball in there considering the dust almost looked like it was a inch thick. "I think some cleaning is in order before we relax." she said as Aric agreed.

They spent the next few hours together cleaning out everything with the windows open causing large plumes of dust to spill out as they worked. More than once they engaged in a cushion fight as they beat the dust out though the winner was undecided. Nonetheless they had fun as they relaxed and enjoyed one another's company in a way they couldn't really afford on the Thunderclap or out in the field.

The apartment was thankfully small with the kitchen and lounge all being one room with the bedroom, bathroom and laundry being seperate. Eventually the place was clean and they had collapsed in the bedroom after the third round, winner take all pillow fight. Kass was quietly looking over the view of the Old Galactic Market via windows behind Aric's bed while Aric rested his head on the small of her back. Neither one wishing to move or break the moment's peace.

"When did you pick up the pendant?" Kass asked him after a while as the sky was beginning to darken.

Aric was quiet as he had to think. "A while after the second return to Ord Mantell. It reminded me of you and I remember how you don't like extravagance all that much. Why? Were you expecting a ring all of a sudden?"

Kass chuckled into the pillow as she stuffed it under her head. "Not likely. I'd like to be more independant before I even consider walking down the aisle....or at least up to a minister for the peace. I'd rather not rely on my lover for my financial survival."

"Your lover hmm?" Aric said as he cheekily pushed the edge of her shirt up and kissed the bare skin underneath, making her writhe under his touch.

"Behave you. Boyfriend sounds too cheesy to me but I wasn't sure what else to call you." She replied, lightly scruffling his head as he made a sound of pleasure.

"Its fine." he murmured before pulling himself up to kick off his boots as Kass's holocom sounded. She held up a finger to indicate his silence before answering.

"Lieutenant. General Garza here. I apologise for cutting off your leave so short this close to the holidays but a urgent matter has arisen in the Empire that I need Havoc Squad for. I want you to report in my office tomorrow and we'll discuss the details further. Also, bring sergeants Dorne and Jorgan with you."

"As you wish, General. See you tomorrow." she said before closing the line and sighing. "Back to business..."

"It appears so." he responded before stripping to his underwear and climbing into bed fully this time. "I know you prefer your own sleep stuff but there should be a shirt for you to borrow tonight until the closet is more filled if you want." he said as he pointed to it.

Kass nodded and grabbed something out before ducking into the bathroom to change. She came back a short time later and watched as his eyes darkened in approval. "See something you like?" She asked, her voice growing husky.

"Very much." He replied before pulling back part of the covers for her as she put her clothes to the side and hopped in. He got a brief glimpse of the bare pale skin of her breasts under the edge of the low collar and very nearly growled. his mind filled with mental images and possibly memories of her buried under his body, gasping his name in his ear as he filled her.

Kass caught the look and gently ran her fingers over his ear in a calming gesture that had him sighing in moments. "Hey...thank you. I mean it. You've done so much for me and I'm not even sure how to begin repaying you."

"Look forward to that third date. I have big plans for us..." He murmured as he pulled her close and buried into her hair. "For now though, get some rest. I have a feeling we're going to need it."

She nodded and buried into the fur of his chest. Her bresth becoming slow and even quickly as she fell into a deep slumber. Aric took a little longer to fall asleep as he wanted to savour this moment since he knew he'd be waking up with her in his arms in the morning.


	29. Finding Lia

Kass sat on a crate observing Dorne and Aric spar one another as she read through a datapad extensively. The past few days had been borderline insane since Garza had summoned her into her office for a promotion, then sent her off to Tatooine to recover a undercover agent who claimed to have something big regarding the Empire and apparently a superweapon called the Gauntlet.

Considering the seriousness of the matter, Kass brought the entire team with her but was positively fuming with rage when the undercover agent, Garn, blew his cover before they could assess the situation...and get rid of the extras who were still standing….and the rescue team that was already inbound.

She brought him back to Balkar who was waiting but surprised to see her that pissed. When Kass explained the situation he smacked his Garn upside the head and told him he now owed a hundred credits rather than the initial twenty.

Garn, while rubbing his sore head, then went on to explain that the Gauntlet was a large cannon built into the frame of a battle cruiser where it could then fire upon any ships travelling in hyperspace. A feat previously considered impossible due to the speed ships could travel at when the drive was engaged. Such a thing required pinpoint accuracy and timing that wasn’t available in today's technology….until now.

It was worrying since it meant that not only could the Empire completely one shot enemy ships but it could also hold supply lanes completely hostage. Once those were gone, the entire Republic would be at their mercy.

The entire matter spurred the entire Republic military into action and upon returning to Coruscant, Kass was called straight into a meeting with the top most military personnel to discuss what needed to be done. Garza wanted Havoc to go into the weapon and sabotage it from the inside. In order for this to even have a remote chance of being successful...Havoc Squad needed to be fully rebuilt.

Which came to their current situation. Kass had set the autopilot to Balmorra while she read over the dossier to Tanno Vik and supervised the sparring match at the same time.

Aric noticed her face become more and more grim before he called a halt, allowing Dorne to finally take a break after a hour. The poor woman looked exhausted but she needed to build more stamina in the event that they were someday stuck in the frontlines. He tossed Dorne a towel and wiped down his face before frowning. “You alright, sir?” He asked and Kass finally looked up at him.

“Not really. I’m trying to figure out just what in hell Garza is thinking sending a guy like this to be our new explosives expert.” Kass replied as she returned her gaze back to the datapad. “Multiple complaints of insubordination, talking back or disobeying orders and as a result of that he’s been shunted from officer to officer because no one wants to deal with him. Dishonorably discharged...three years ago after Talay.”

Aric blinked as Dorne frowned. “Talay? I thought it was virtually impossible to screw that posting up.”

Dorne looked confused so he elaborated. “After the Battle of Talay, in the early years of the Galactic War, the Republic took over as more or less peacekeepers since there was a lack in a local police force. They basically stuck around to help rebuild and support the community. Why? What’d he do?” He asked as he turned back to Kass.

“Apparently some criminal elements had dug in roots during the chaos there and decided to go hit the townspeople. So Vik started up a protection racket rather than do his duty.” Kass said grimly. “He got outed and Command jumped on it as an excuse to boot him. There are in fact criminal records of him but a lot of the complaints were mysteriously withdrawn for one reason or another so nothing could really be done. Ultimately...this isn’t someone I’d consider for Havoc Squad. No matter how good he is with explosives.”

Aric folded his arms as Dorne spoke up. “I can understand your feelings sir. Someone of his...history...could potentially cause problems in the framework of the team and our ability to work efficiently together as a unit.”

“Of that I agree. Is there no other way around it? Haul in someone else?” Aric asked but Kass shook her head.

“Nope. Garza made it perfectly clear that there was no one else suited for the job and Fuse is too high risk to put back in the field considering who he affiliated with. So we’re stuck.” Kass got up from the crate and stretched. “Anyway, we’ll be reaching Balmorra soon. Jorgan, you’re coming with me for this one. Dorne since this is a active warzone I want to ensure medbay is prepped and you on call in case anything happens.”

Dorne nodded firmly. “As you wish, I will start on it immediately.” She said before heading out to go shower while Aric waited behind.

“You going to be able to handle Vik? Considering what you’ve read in the report.” He asked while frowning in concern.

Kass sighed and put her hands on her hips. “To be frank I don’t know. I’ve dealt with his type before and they only listen to someone who’s not not only talks but can back it up with force. It's not a good way to operate long term… All I can do is hope it won’t be as bad as when you and I first started out. With the stares, temper flare ups and the dust up or two.”

He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “Sorry about that…” he mumbled and Kass just looked amused.

“Hey, you didn’t know I was originally your ex and my leadership style doesn’t suit everyone.” Kass replied gently. “It didn’t help that I was keeping secrets from you either and have a equally bad temper.”

“Still...punching my CO...steps over several lines. Technically I should’ve been discharged for that but you didn’t...why?” Aric asked as he draped his towel over his shoulder and grabbed his shirt.

“Because I knew you were frustrated between me and Tavus and didn’t mean to. Sure, it doesn’t make it okay to punch anyone just because you’re angry but technically I threw the first punch so…” She shrugged a shoulder. “Don’t worry about it though. If it came to be a recurring theme, then I’d take action.”

Kass noticed Aric wasn’t focusing on her but instead over her left shoulder somewhere into space and she ran her hand gently over his forearm to get his attention. “Hey. It's alright, okay? I said I’d tell you if you ever went over the line.”

“I know.” He sighed. “Still, I’ll be more careful from now on. Anyway, I have a personal request while we’re down there. My sister, Lia is apparently somewhere on the planet but hasn’t been in contact since outside coms were shut down to all but important messages.”

“You think something’s happened?” Kass asked with a small frown of concern..

“Hard to say to be honest. We haven’t gotten any reports of injuries, capture, MIA or KIA but I want to check considering we’re in the same area.” He replied before freezing as Kass rested her hand over his arm.

“I’ll do what I can after we’ve arrived. Even if I have to pull rank again. After that then we’ll focus on what happened to the Deadeyes, if that sounds good to you?”

Aric nodded. “I still don’t get why I’ve heard nothing from SigInt yet but if that Zane guy is somehow involved we might need to find someone else.”

Kass considered that for a moment. “If you kept a copy then I’ll call Garza for a favor. I can’t imagine she’d be too pleased to find out the SIS is meddling in military affairs again.” Suddenly she smiled a dark grin at the idea. “Besides...if we can’t sort this out the normal way then I see no problems with grabbing a wrecking ball and just barging our way through for answers.”

He raised a eyebrow before starting to laugh. “You know...I always love…ehhhhhh…” he cut himself off as he realised he dug a grave for himself. “Nevermind. Don’t worry about i-” A warm finger pressed against his lips and Aric looked down to see Kass giving a warm smile.

“I know what you mean but if it helps put you at ease...the feeling is reciprocated.” She murmured before removing her finger and bushing her full hand over his cheek. Her touch made him groan and he watched as Kass smirked a little. “Patience Jorgan, just two more dates to go.” 

“If I even last that long…” He growled and pressed her hand to his cheek. “But. A deal’s a deal after all.”

“Good boy. Now you better run to the shower because certain ‘things' have risen to attention and you’d rather not have Dorne catch notice.” Kass said as she moved away.

Aric’s eyes widened and he looked down, cursing loudly as he arranged the towel and shirt in such a way so it covered his growing arousal. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because I was hoping you’d notice the….uhh….stiffness. Okay I’m going to shut up now and go pilot. Good luck.” She said as she quickly vacated the cargo bay, leaving him to run like hell for a change of clothes and to grab the shower as soon as Dorne left it.

* * *

The situation on Balmorra left Kass feeling annoyed and frustrated to say the least as yet another asshole got in the way of her investigations. But to a certain degree she understood why the rebels were so annoyed by Republic presence currently. 

Prior to current events Balmorra had become a battleground due to the planet’s history in weapons research and manufacturing, it drew the Empire’s interest during the Great Galactic War and the Republic was forced to retreat before leaving the planet entirely after the Treaty of Coruscant. As a result, the hostility from the Balmorran people was great indeed as she struggled to get information about Vik’s location and assignment. Nearly scoffing in the rebel’s face when he declared Vik a hero of the people.

At least Lia’s information was easier to track down and Aric breathed a sigh of relief when his sibling wasn’t on any of the MIA or KIA lists, in fact she had a assignment near the main Imperial held city of Sobrik. With this knowledge in hand they set off to at least start tracking down Vik before they went to find Lia.

As time drew on to the evening Vik was proving himself to be quite the nuisance. Leaving people completely defenseless at the com relays and then proceeding to make off with some explosives under the pretext of a ‘important mission’. Kass was already angry at having caught his recordings and seeing what he was talking about over the coms. But the talk of a potential ‘suicide mission’ made her see red and Aric wasn’t all that impressed either.

In order to track him down even further they had to press on, covering for his ass by finishing the jobs he was supposed to have done before heading into Sobrik proper after Major Triam noted signs of explosive entry into the Imperial headquarters. Determined to track him down before the weequay could do any more damage she and Aric hurried into the city, dodging around droids and Sith alike until they came to a large blasted out hole in what used to be a door. Kass raised a eyebrow and carefully pulled out her rifle before stepping within the entry way. Inside was a complete mess of bodies both Imperial and resistance fighters and the Imps were still in the process of clean up. She rushed in, ducking behind cover and opening fire as Aric supported her from further back with his sniping. It took longer than she would have liked to clear the Imps out but considering the number of people in this place she wasn’t all that surprised.

When everything was cleared out they approached a large com table in the centre of the back room, there surrounding it was the last of the small team of resistance fighters though one had a active holocom and it was receiving a call. Kass picked it up and used the com table to feed the transmission through. There, finally, she was in a way face to face with Tanno Vik who looked confused but also somewhat amused.

“Hmm. You aren’t the man I left behind to cover us, but you are answering his holo. Just who does that make you exactly?” Vik asked.

“The commander of Havoc Squad. I was sent to recruit you.” Kass replied, keeping her voice carefully neutral as Vik laughed.

“Hah! That’s rich. I thought that message was a prank! Ahh this is just too good. I really want to hear what the Republic has to offer me, because last I checked, I wasn’t winning popularity contests with Command.” Vik smirked slyly and Kass’s eyes narrowed. “But that’ll have to wait until my work here is done. I couldn’t stand to leave without doing my part for Balmorrans.”

“Cut the crap Vik. I know you’re here for something else and it isn’t for Balmorra.” Kass replied coldly. “So help me if I have to drag you back in cuffs…”

Vik made a tutting sound. “Now that’s no way to talk, Sir. You aren’t making a good impression of the Republic to my people back here and that won’t do now will it? But! If you’re really interested in getting me on your team then you might want to pitch in with this operation and my odds of surviving go way up with your...assistance. I’d say that’s better for all of us.”

Kass just silently narrowed her eyes as she folded her arms. Vik noticed that she hadn’t moved and smirked wider. “I take it you agree then. Anyway, my team and I just grabbed a enemy VIP named Brel Orus. He’s a Balmorran fat-cat who sold out to the imps-”

“Thieving mongrel slime! You’ll pay for this! You’ll- argh!” A voice in the back yelped in pain as a solid thud could be heard over the line. Kass raised a eyebrow as Vik glanced behind him, presumably to ensure the guy was still in working order.

“Brel has… ‘volunteered' the location of a hazard vault where my objective is hidden. I’m borrowing a Republic missile battery to blast it open.” He continued a moment later.

“Oh really? What’s inside the vault Vik?” Kass asked, sounding unimpressed.

“You let me worry about that part. I need you to clear out a path. There are all sorts of defenses that could stop my missile before it hits the target. The Imps installed anti-missile turrets, shields, defensive sensors...I suggest you go start with the sensors first. Take them down then contact me again, copy?”

“I’ll get on that at first light. Try to keep your ‘volunteer' alive because when I catch up to you, Vik, you and I are going to have a little chat.”

“Wow, I never thought I was your type.” Vik responded with a sarcastic tone. “I’ll be seeing you then, sir.”

Kass cut the line quickly as Aric growled. “I see what the dossier meant about insubordination. How can people even believe this guy?” He settled down a little as Kass pressed her hand on his back, a gentle nudge so they could get moving but she pocketed the holocom so she had a direct line to Vik if needed.

“Vik’s good a playing people. That and he’s won over support by not only helping the resistance despite his own agenda, but by giving the ultimate F U to the Republic by stealing their equipment. It's a win win in their book and Vik gets his army of devoted followers…” Kass said, feeling sick as she looked back over the bodies before they left.

Aric said nothing but Kass noticed that his fists were tightly clenched in restraint and she could feel the tension radiating from him as they quietly reentered Sobrik. Nothing was said between them as they quickly escaped the city but Aric stopped once they had reached a safe point just behind a ruined house. “According to this Lia should be on her assignment just up...there.” He said as he looked up the large cliff.

“....think there’s a safer route in the near dark? I don’t like our odds scaling that thing...much as I’d admire the view.” Kass responded, succeeding in breaking the tension caused by Vik by making Aric laugh.

“It's a fair distance but there should be a easier place to get up if we hurry.” He said with a small smile. “And thanks. I needed that.”

“Any time.” Kass responded before they hurried along, trying to beat the sun. It all went well until they began to reach the spot where Lia was supposed to be then Kass noticed a red spot appearing on Aric’s armor. “Crap!” she yelled and roughly shoved him down as the bolt from a sniper rifle fizzed over where he’d been standing just before. “Your sister’s a sniper?”

“Ah...yeah….forgot to mention that part.” Aric grunted as he worked on crawling his way behind cover and looked to see where the shots were coming from. Some distance away he could see another bolt coming straight for his head and he ducked behind the rock as it hit, the bolt hitting hard enough to fracture the rock a little and send sharp shards into his fur. “For the love of…” He grumbled and shouted something loudly that made whoever was shooting at them stop.

Kass frowned as she heard a woman’s voice shout something back but she did catch Aric’s name being yelled before Aric responded and gently took her arm to pull her up. “Okay. We should be safe now.” She nodded and followed his lead this time as they approached the shooter.

A very tall but thin woman appeared from behind her cover and holstered her weapon. On closed inspection she looked similar to Aric as she bore the same eyes as him as well as the same tawny fur colouring. The main difference lay in that she had small markings across her facial fur, that and she had thick dark brown hair that was done up in a ponytail.

Lia’s eyes instantly zeroed in on her in hostility before she turned to her brother. “Why is this ash’te here of all places? More to the point why is it with you?” she spat out.

“What in the hell’s gotten into you?” Aric growled back. “And don’t you talk about her that way!”

The cathar woman rolled her eyes. “Please. I remember when you were positively singing her praises and drooling all over her feet over how much you loved her until one day she ups and leaves without so much as a word. You may not remember what you were like but I do. The whole family does. You were better off back on Ord Mantell, brother. It's not worth putting yourself through this pain twice.”

Kass felt a urge to just go and sink into the earth. She wanted to speak up but this was Aric’s family and she deserved every bit of hatred from them for her actions. “I’m just going to-” Kass was cut off when Aric grabbed her hand and held it tightly.

“Lia. I’ll explain everything but first we need a safe spot to rest that’s out of Imp sight. We’ll be gone before sunrise I promise you.” Aric said calmly as he gave Kass’s hand a reassuring squeeze.

Lia looked clearly reluctant but sighed and indicated for them to follow her around a bend and into her camp. A green akk dog raised its head immediately and ran toward her demanding attention but she ignored it as she stomped toward a tent and inclined her finger to Aric to join her.

Reluctantly Aric let go and Kass sat down outside near the low campfire as the akk dog growled warily at her. Low hushed voices rose to just shy of shouting as the siblings argued in catharese. Under better circumstances Kass would have enjoyed listening to the purring and and growling noises that came from Aric speaking his native tongue but her mood had entered the pits and didn’t seem like it was coming out anytime soon.

The little akk dog cautiously approached and sniffed at her boots before she gently held a hand in it’s direction and let it take in her scent. The tent cover shifted aside abruptly as Aric stormed out which startled the creature, causing it to bite down on Kass’s hand. 

Aric’s eyes widened and he about near shouted something but Kass tiredly held up a hand and looked down at the dog. “You done? It was just the big grumpy cat man moving the tent. That’s all.” she said soothingly and made gentle noises until the dog let go. When she looked up again she saw Lia looking guilty.

“Sorry. Blippy gets nervous around strangers, I was hoping to have snapped him out of that by now.” Lia said as she shifted and ran her hand through her hair. “Look...brother told me of your...history. Why you left. It still doesn’t give you a pass in my book but I know how stubborn this guy can be when there’s something he wants.” she jabbed her thumb into Aric’s arm which made him wince and scowl.

“And I’m not asking for ‘passes' or to be forgiven automatically, Lia.” Kass said tiredly. “I’m fully aware that such things have to be earned. Leaving your brother was a mistake that I had to bear the price for, but I won’t be leaving him again willingly. Whether you like it or not.”

Aric practically beamed while Lia frowned then sighed. “I swear...as stubborn as a cathar yourself. Fine. I’ll...catch up with Maa’te when the com lockdown lifts but you’ll have to tell her what’s going on rather than just spring it on her. You know how she hates that.” Lia said as she gave Aric a hard stare. “She won’t approve of this considering how much you were hurt last time.”

“I know…” He sighed deeply. “Truth be told neither of us know what’ll happen with regards to Kass’s family but the risks are ours to take alright?”

Lia frowned. “Especially considering you’re both soldiers?”

“Especially that.”

Aric’s sister shook her head and sighed. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you then. I’ll leave you to tend to Blippy’s bite while I head back on duty. There’s a spare bedroll in there you can borrow along with a blanket so you can get some rest.”

“Thanks kah’re. I appreciate it.” Aric replied as Lia waved a hand and walked away from the camp with Blippy the akk dog at her heels.

“Kah’re?” Kass asked as he dredged around in the tent for medical supplies and a bandage before returning to kneel by her side.

“Sister….in a rough translation.” Aric replied as stoked the fire a bit and lifted her hand. “Not a deep wound luckily so you’ll be fine. I thought you had language training? You should be able to get a rough translation of what I’m saying at least.”

Kass shook her head. “I skipped over the more in depth lessons. Father was more interested in me learning how to use multiple arms over languages. I do have a implant that does most language translation for me but things like Huttese and Shyriiwook need to be learned manually. The latter’s too difficult and relies on too many different things for it to just be translated by a implant.”

Aric gently cleaned the wound. “So I could be saying anything and you wouldn’t be able to understand me?”

“Pretty much.” Kass replied. “Though probably not for much longer. I’m overdue to update this thing and hearing your conversation with your sister reminded me of it. It's a pity. I really liked hearing you talk like that.”

She could hear him chuckle as he gave everything a quick kolto spray before proceeding to bandage her hand. “Catharese tends to be thicker in our natural accent, but since I was born on Rendili and not Cathar I wasn’t graced with such things.” He said as he tucked the end of the bandage under the layers. “That won’t hold forever but it should last until we’re done with Vik and are back home...though you’ll probably need a few shots just in case.”

Kass pulled a face as he got up with a grunt and fetched the bedroll and blanket. “Lovely. More injections.”

“You could just say if anyone asked that you had a massive fight with a kath hound that tried to take off your hand. Sounds more impressive than “a nervous akk dog bit me” in my opinion.” Aric replied as he prepared everything for her and she weakly chuckled.

“Maybe but I’d still have to get that scar tissue removed if there’s any. Mother always hated the sight of the stuff and since I refused to get the ones on my body removed, I at least have to keep the exposed skin clear for appearances’ sake.” Kass said before she awkwardly crawled into the bedroll. 

Aric joined her a moment later. “Any reason why you kept them?”

“Wasn’t much point spending the money if I was just going to get more in the future anyway...and considering you were the cause of several of them, even more reason not to. I like knowing that I once had that effect on you.” She yawned before settling against him, smirking when she heard him growl in her ear.

“You still do, Kass.” He said and nipped her ear teasingly, prompting her to slap his thigh but hissed when pain hit her hand hard.

“Damn it. Behave you. Your sister is already disliking my presence, I’m not having her go bug eyed with the view of you going down on me.” She growled and felt him chuckle deep in his chest as he wrapped a arm around her waist.

“Good point. Now try and get some sleep. We’re going to need it when we go to track down Vik tomorrow.”

Kass groaned. “Don’t remind me.” She said before sighing and letting herself fall into a deep slumber, so deep in fact that she didn’t even hear Lia’s disgusted noise at two in the morning when she returned for sleep.


	30. Extracting Vik

Despite being in Aric’s arms throughout the night for once, Kass didn’t sleep easy. It was hard to in a active warzone with the presence of the enemy being way too close for comfort. It reminded her of some of the nights on Hoth and military school, where she had to sleep with one eye open or she’d find herself being attacked by someone really out to ruin her day. 

Every now and again she’d jump as loud noises from air strikes hitting Sobrik’s shield sounded through the ravines and every time Aric would hold her just that fraction tighter and murmur soothing things in her ear. Sometimes just random nonsense and other times some stories of his time with the Deadeyes. Despite that however, at around five am when they had to leave to continue after Vik, Kass still felt horribly groggy and had a headache coming on from the disturbed slumber so she hovered awkwardly in the background while Aric and Lia exchanged updated contact information. Lia gave Kass a grudging nod as they walked away to deal with the sensors Vik had informed them about.

“Sorry about Lia...my family tends to be...uhh...overprotective sometimes.” Aric apologised as they walked together, waiting on the sun to slowly rise so they could see what they were doing.

“It’s fine.” Kass replied as she ignored the stab of envy deep in her stomach. “Its nice to have a supportive family even if they are a little overprotective.”

Somehow he seemed to pick up on her mood and gently rested a hand on her shoulder until she stopped. “Hey. We’ll figure everything out alright? Together. And if neither side happens to like it well...screw them then.”

Kass blinked and she turned around with a hint of a smile on her lips. “You’re honestly willing to go that far for some girl with family issues huh?”

She could see his green eyes narrow at that. “You aren’t just “some girl”, Kass. You’re a hell of a lot more than that despite everything that you’ve been through and I couldn’t be more proud than to have a partner like you.” Aric growled before gently pushing her hair out of the way of her face and lowering his head to brush his cheek along hers in a affectionate nuzzle.

The gesture made Kass smile and her chest feel tight at the supportive gesture. “Gotta be careful, Jorgan. Never know who might be spying out here.” She warned and reluctantly he moved away. He helped boost her mood by a mile but this kind of thing was best saved for when they were truly alone and could be safe.

“Just remember what I said. You’re worth fighting for and damn what anyone else says about it.” Aric affirmed which caused her to chuckle tiredly.

“Okay. I just needed to be sure. Insecurities and all.” She replied with a faint smile which just made him frown in concern but before he could say anything more, Kass had already turned back to the path ahead to get to work on the defenses.

* * *

Kass felt the ground shake underneath her feet as the missile hit whatever it was supposed to be hitting. She glanced at her holocom to find that Vik at least had the decency to send her coordinates to the location where he was apparently waiting.

“We’ll need to double-time it. That blast would’ve attracted trouble and it's not too hard to calculate a short range missile trajectory.” Kass said as she turned to Aric who nodded in firm agreement.

“He should have waited until we got there before firing. At this rate I’m going to thoroughly enjoy teaching him discipline.” He growled as Kass marched over to a nearby soldier and spoke to him before he ran off. “What’re you doing?”

“Catching up before someone else does. Get on, Lieutenant.” She ordered as she started up the speeder. Aric just blinked but did as she asked and wrapped his arms around her waist before she gunned it out the outpost’s exit.

People and active warfields slipped by as Kass pushed the speeder hard toward the coordinates but stopped just outside the entrance to a enclosed valley according to her map.

“Vik could’ve chosen a better place to set up shop…” Kass said quietly as Aric got off and Kass turned off the speeder to push it out of sight. “Weapon at the ready. I doubt we’re going to be the only ones here.”

Aric nodded and pulled out his gun as they carefully moved inside. It wasn’t long before his nose could pick up the smell of smoke and they rounded the corner to find the area thick with Imperial soldiers. Kass’s face turned grim at the sight and a odd cold look was in her eyes that worried him but he said nothing on it as she launched into battle and knocked enemies down with a flak shell before taking one out permanently with a stock strike.

He held still behind cover and backed up Kass with suppressive fire and a few headshots, trying to thin the pack before she got hurt. On the bright side there wasn’t all that many Imps but no doubt backup wouldn’t be far behind so he needed to hurry. Quickly he sniped down the last man before Kass got to him and hurried over to her position.

Kass was stiff as a board as she stood there and held her gun in a tight grip. It wasn’t until Aric got close enough that she holstered her gun and looked around for any survivors before cautiously entering the only non burning building and hearing the sounds of coughing coming from within. She hurried over and knelt down in front of a badly wounded twi’lek, reaching in her belt for whatever medicals supplies she had though she knew deep down it wouldn’t be of much use.

The twi’lek was bleeding out and barely holding himself together as he raised a hand to bat hers away. “Help...got to help. They took him. The Imps took Vik.” He grunted out, struggling to get his words straight.

“Easy now...tell me what you can, soldier.” Kass soothed before reaching to the back of her belt for the strongest painkiller she had and pushing the man’s sleeve so she could locate a vein. A mere moment later and a slow look of blessed relief appeared across the man’s face.

“It was...it was that traitor, Brel Orus. He gave the Imps our position somehow. We fought hard, but they overran us. Tore straight through and grabbed Vik. They’ll take him to the Balmorran Arms Factory. The...the Imps built a prison in the back of the complex...no one ever comes out.” The twi’lek said and Kass nodded.

“I’ll get Vik back. Period.” Kass responded with a firm nod.

The twi’lek smiled and a look of hope appeared in his eyes. “You’re a hero...a real hero. Just like Vik.” He replied as he slowly lay down on the floor. “Strange...I feel so tired...but I know you can do it.” 

Kass watched as the man relaxed before passing away and she gently reached over to close his eyes. When she stood up again Aric frowned in worry as Kass’s face had a cold hardness to it as she walked past him and he placed a hand on her shoulder which she quickly shook off. “Don’t touch me right now.” She said before setting off at a jog back to the speeder, leaving him to follow behind.

Neither one said anything as they slipped into the arms factory but Aric could feel the tension radiating off of Kass and it worried him immensely that she was taking this very personally. But this wasn’t the time nor the place to confront her on it so all he could do was stand back and worry in silence while she dealt with whatever she was feeling right now.

Eventually the sounds of a beating could be heard as they slipped into the prison area of the factory and Kass pulled out her side arm as they approached the scene.

“Again! Hit him again! Make that thieving liar pay!” Shouted the large man in finery that Kass assumed was Brel Orus.

Vik grunted as the Imp soldier hit him again before he noticed her standing in front of them. “Arrgh...well, its been fun guys.” He grunted as he winced in pain. “But, it looks like my ride is here. Nice knowing you.”

Brel blinked and turned around before jumping in shock when he found two armed Republic soldiers pointing weapons straight at him.

“Drop your weapons! Surrender now! The guard yelled as Kass glanced behind her and noted two other guards showing up at the rear and gave a signal to Aric behind her back to let him know of the additions.

“I’ve made it this far. Do you honestly think you can stop me?” Kass growled, her eyes narrowing into a cold glare at Brel.

“She’s got you on that one. Is this really how you want to go?” Vik said with a small smirk.

“Shut up!” Brel shouted as he sliced the air with his hand to make his point. “We do not negotiate with riffraff. The Empire fears no one, isn’t that right?” 

Kass’s head slowly turned to the security guard in such a creepy way he actually had to readjust the grip on his gun nervously as she just stared. “Y-yes sir!”

“I won’t ask again. Release the prisoner.” Kass said, still staring a hole into the security guard.

“He’ll pay for his crimes, and so will you!” Brel yelled before pulling out a side arm and sending a few shots in her direction.

Kass blinked as one of the shots flew wide but the other struck her square in the shoulder and she hissed loudly with pain. “Jorgan, handle the ones behind me!” She yelled before leaping on the guard in front of her and firing several shots straight into the man. She span round as another shot hit her square in the back and she noticed another guard off to the side that she hadn’t noticed before with his weapon pointed in her direction. Cursing to herself she holstered the sidearm and pulled out her rifle to fire a harpoon at the man and haul him in unexpectedly close.

It had the effect she wanted and she was able to finish him off quickly as Aric wrapped up his fight, dodging the last few blaster shots nicely so he could return fire.

Kass grunted in pain as she walked over to Vik and undid the cuffs before standing back. “Well, that was exciting and all. It’s good to finally meet you in person, Captain.” Vik said as he stretched his limbs.

“Shut up.” Kass replied. “You’re in the military again. Act like it.”

Vik stood at attention and saluted cheekily. “Heh. Yes, sir, Captain, sir. Permission to stomp that fat bureaucrat’s head in once you’re patched up, sir?”

Aric’s head snapped in her direction as Kass calmly injected one of her medpacks into her thigh and started walking over to where Brel had run off to. She just stood there staring as the man raised his hands in surrender and nervously laughed. “Uh...let’s not be hasty now. I am a man of honor, despite what you may have heard.” he stammered as Vik snorted.

“Yeah. “Nice guy”. You stole from your people and just happened to betray them to the Empire by ‘accident'”. Vik retorted but to his credit, actually shut up when Kass held up a hand.

“I’ve made mistakes, certainly. But allow me to make amends. A contribution of credits, say, to repay the Republic’s heroism on behalf of my fellow Balmorrans?” Brel begged as Kass stared at him coldly in silence.

“I swear...you’re all the same. Out for yourselves and not the people you’re supposed to represent and serve.” She said coldly before marching over and snapping the cuffs that were formally Vik’s around the man’s wrists, making sure he couldn’t go anywhere by looping his arms behind a large piece of metal at the back of the room. “I don’t want your damn money. But I can imagine a certain resistance group would love to get their hands on you…” 

Brel gulped as Kass made a call to the Sundari outpost saying they had a certain guest who the resistance would be very interested in. Once the business was concluded and coordinates exchanged she turned to Vik with a brow raised.

“Should’ve just killed the guy. But I reckon the resistance will do that anyway since they know what this asshole’s done.” He griped as they left the room. “Now that we’re on the same team, I’ll fill you in on my operation. That vault we blew open is full of pricey prototype weapons designed by Balmorran companies. Orus had them hidden before the Imperial invasion to… “keep them safe”.”

“Orus never told the Imps about the stockpile?” Kass asked.

“Of course not. He wanted to make money off of them.” Vik responded. “Orus planned to sell the prototypes for a tidy profit. We could do the same...after picking a few choice items for ourselves.”

Kass just shut down as things came clear to her and the twi’lek’s words rang in her ears. “No. That’s not what we’re doing.” She said in complete monotone. “We’ll be getting those weapons but we aren’t keeping any of them. They belong to Balmorra and that’s where they’ll stay so your men didn’t give up their lives for nothing.”

Vik was unfazed by Kass’s change or perhaps he didn’t even notice as he scoffed. “Those men died fighting Imperials-exactly what they signed up for in the first place.”

“You’re out of line, Vik!” Aric yelled. “This squad doesn’t waste lives for nothing!”

Vik waved a hand in dismissal. “You don’t like it, good for you. But if we don’t get to the vault now, the Imps will find those weapons and nobody wants that so let’s go.” he said before starting out the door, leaving Kass and Aric to follow his lead.

Aric looked at Kass in concern. Her back was a mess with a great gaping hole where she was shot and another one across her left shoulder. Neither were bleeding from what he could tell thanks to the effect of the kolto but it was more her mental state he was concerned about. She’d been closed off entirely since discovering the twi’lek, forcing herself to a state of complete cold calmness that he hadn’t seen before in her. Deep down he wanted to pull her in his arms, maybe spar so she could let off whatever she was keeping buried deep down inside of herself, but they couldn’t. Not with this company and Vik certainly didn’t need to know about their forbidden relationship. His heart squeezed as he watched Kass disarm the traps in the vault despite the amount of pain she was clearly in and he followed silently to provide what support he could for her as they followed Vik’s plan.

Kass looked up as they reached the weapons and Vik turned around to greet the zabrak Republic soldier who’d just caught up.”Here they are, Sergeant! Go ahead and bring your men through, its clear.” He said before turning to Kass. “Captain, this is Sergeant Tong. I took the liberty of calling his transport team to get these captured enemy weapons crated and moved.”

Kass just nodded silently at the man who saluted. “No problem, sir. Hostile pickup is our specialty. Where can we take this stuff for you, sir?”

“Take it back to the Balmorran resistance. They were made here so it’s only fitting that they should go back to them.” Kass replied quickly before Vik could say anything. She noticed him glaring at her but she just shrugged in dismissal as Tong’s men got to work.

“You’re bloody insane. The Balmorrans are never going to share that tech with the Republic when they could make money instead.” He said as he facepalmed at her decision.

“And what does that say about you? You wanted to profit from the weapons, just the same as everyone else.” Kass responded as she watched over the removal.

“Yeah but when I do it, I get something out of it. See how that’s better?” Vik spat back.

“Nope.” Kass simply replied before turning to Aric and noticed the look in his eyes. “Jorgan, ‘escort' Vik back to the ship while I hitch a ride back to Bugtown with Tong. If he starts complaining you have full permission to shove a sock in his mouth.” Kass ordered as Vik grimaced at the idea.

Aric nodded. “You heard the captain. Move it.” He ordered and gestured to the door as Vik threw up his hands in exasperation and shuffled his way to the exit. “I want a word with you. In private.” He growled into Kass’s ear before following the grumbling weequay out.

Kass just sighed and for once in her life didn’t look forward to returning back to the Thunderclap so she held the thought of getting rest in Aric’s arms close to her heart as she grudgingly climbed aboard the shuttle that would take her back to Bugtown.

Her emotions were in a chaotic state as she struggled to come to grips with the kind of person who was now a member of her crew. This person who casually threw away the lives of the men who worked with him all in the name for profit. The man who she was compared to as a hero. The man who’d basically tugged her around like a dog on a leash to get his dirty work done for him.

She felt sick. She felt angry to all the layers of hell possible that this kind of self serving scum gets treated with reverence while the men who died under him got nothing but maybe a plaque on a wall in remembrance. But despite her feelings, despite her disgust and fury...she couldn’t show just how much the matter was bothering her, because if she did vent, if she did let loose completely, there was no way in hell she’d ever be taken seriously ever again as a leader let alone as a person.

Knowing that, Kass steeled herself against the anger she knew was coming when she would face against Ardon again.

* * *

Aric was busy grilling Vik over how things worked on the ship besides giving the tour even though his temper was quickly building into frustration from Vik’s smartass comments on how he was “being bossed around by a furball”. They seemed to have reached a accord of some description when Aric shot back that it was better this way than to have a “useless dead fish” running around. It somehow scored a laugh from the guy and a comment that he was a lot better looking than one anyway right before Aric made him drop and do fifty pushups right there on the floor.

He was so distracted that he didn’t hear the ship door open and Kass re enter the ship but he did hear her grunts and hisses of pain when she visited medbay and had Dorne basically peel her armor and undersuit from her body. Gritting his teeth he had to deal with the sound as he paced around Vik until he was done before striding to medbay.

The door opened and he was hit hard by the strong smell of kolto and antiseptic and Dorne looked up in shock, the gloves on her hands covered in blood as she stared at him for a few scant seconds before pointing out the door.

“Leave. Now.” She ordered as she quickly covered up the sight of the surgery from his gaze.

Aric just stood there in shock before walking out stiffly without a word as the door shut behind him, jumping about a foot in the air when the main comtable sounded with a incoming call. “Right...I’m XO….right…” He mumbled to himself before answering it.

“Come in Havoc, General Garza reporting.” The general said before looking down and frowning at who stood before her. “Lieutenant...where is the captain?”

Aric stood stock straight and forced himself to talk even though he just wanted to sit down and think for five blasted minutes. “In surgery, sir. She took a couple of wounds in the firefight to rescue Vik.”

“Explain. In detail.” Garza said and Aric spent the next fifteen minutes updating Garza on every single important detail from the Balmorran resistance’s reluctance to assist them to Vik’s antics and resulting kidnapping as well as his plans for the prototype weapons. Garza’s face turned grim. “Hmm...I do wish Ithesda had hung onto those weapons for the Republic but at this time it's more vital that we rebuild ties long term with the people of Balmorra. No doubt this should prove helpful for the new Barsen’thor of the Jedi Order as she works to rebuild the trust of the Rift Alliance.

Aric blinked at the news. “Rift Alliance?”

“A number of planets felt that the Republic wasn’t supporting them enough so they threatened to secede. The Jedi and the Chancellor sent the new Barsen’thor as a...mediator of sorts to try and assist with the negotiations. Last I heard she was on Balmorra working with someone else to free Balmorra’s president from the Empire’s influence.” Garza explained. “Hopefully this means the ties between the Alliance and the Republic will be strengthened from this but we will see…”

“Are there any new orders for us sir?” Aric asked and Garza shook her head. “Not yet. I’d prefer Ithesda to be fully healed before I send you on a new assignment. But should the need arise then it’s up to you to take her place leading the squad until she’s fit for duty.”

“Yes sir.” Aric responded though he had to force them out as Garza did a final nod and the comline closed. It was only then that he let out a shaky sigh and went to go sit in one of the couches in the corner. He felt the urge to get up, to spar using one of the training dummies, run a dozen laps around the Balmorra hanger bay, anything but sit still and wait for results from Dorne as to Kass’s condition.

Eventually he got up and wandered into the armory to work on a project that he’d been saving for a little closer to Kass’s birthday. It beat sitting around and thinking about Kass….and all her blood on Dorne’s...no...he didn’t want to think about it. A few days and she’d be right as rain again just like how she was before.

Aric wasn’t sure how long he kept those thoughts going but eventually Dorne appeared around the doorway looking exhausted. He could still smell kolto and antiseptic but there was also a thick metallic smell hanging around her that made him choke. “How is she?” He eventually blurted out.

“She’ll live.” Dorne replied. “Thankfully her armor bore most of the shot but it was still a fairly hard hit. What you walked in on was actually me removing durasteel and fabric fragments as I found they had fused with her flesh.”

Aric looked a bit sick at the idea as Dorne continued. “She should have been brought to me sooner...but I can imagine she was being remarkably stubborn to keep a strong face in front of Vik.”

“What?” He replied. “You could hear all that could you?”

“You would be surprised at what you can hear through a few inches of durasteel with little background noise.”

Aric rubbed the back of his neck before placing his hands on his hips. “How long will she be out of duty?”

“Considering I don’t have a kolto tank...several days. She should be back to fighting form by the following week though, as I told her, if she hadn’t felt the urge to show off and keep running around with such a large wound in her back then she would have recovered a lot sooner.” Dorne noticed Aric sag in relief and gently patted his arm. “I’ve cleaned up in there now if you wish to see her though she may not wake up before you need to leave. I had to quite thoroughly sedate her. Meanwhile I’ll need to rest. If anything happens then call for me immediately.”

“I will Dorne...and….thank you.” Aric replied softly as Dorne gave him a small reassuring smile before leaving him be. He put away the metal pieces and equipment to his project and stepped next door into medbay. Kass was on the far most bed and didn’t move except to breathe as she lay on her front. Her back and shoulder were heavily bandaged and Aric felt guilt him him square in the stomach as he moved over and carefully rearranged the blanket that was covering her waist and legs so she’d be warmer than how she was.

He blinked at a fold out chair that had been set up in the corner near her head and felt grateful for Dorne’s foresight as he sat down and gently brushed stray hair from Kass’s face. “Bloody idiot…” He eventually murmured as he took her exposed hand and held it in his. “Your stubbornness is going to be the death of you one day and then where will we be? You should have said something...no...I should have noticed. I’m supposed to be your XO….your….mate...one day. I’m supposed to care for you better than this.”

Kass groggily opened a eye and stared at him. “What’s this about being a mate?” she slurred out causing him to jump in fright and fall as the chair shifted under him. “....Aric?”

“I’m alright!” he responded quickly as he waved a hand in the air to give a sign of life. “Didn’t think you’d wake up.”

She watched him sleepily as he crawled back into the chair. “Bit hard to sleep when I have someone I care about calling me a idiot...and then talking about mating?”

“I….uhh…..don’t worry about it. I was just thinking out loud.” Aric said quickly and looked down at her stone faced expression before sighing. “I’ll….talk to you about it when you’re healed up. Promise.”

“I’ll hold you to it then…” Kass replied quietly as she sighed. “Thanks for staying with me.”

“No problem….” Aric murmured as he watched her eyes close once more and she fell back into sleep. “I’ll always be here for you.”


	31. Taral V

Aric quietly stared between his CO and her twin as they stood before a short and green Jedi master and the Barsen’thor, glaring at one another. Well Kass was glaring and Rea-Lana was staring back in grim amusement.

“Y’know Narika...when you said you were getting extra help….this wasn’t quite what I had in mind.” Rea said. “I thought I told you that my twin was angrier than a pack of womp rats locked in a crate for three days.”

“Yes but you never specified why.” The miraluka responded. “And considering we will need all the help we can with this particular mission, we need the best.”

“But my twin?” Rea whined before throwing up her hands in defeat. “Fine. But if she shoots me then it's on your head.”

“Oh I’d much rather arrest your ass. I’m fairly sure I can dig up something criminal….smuggling operations….maybe someone you slept with that you weren’t meant to again.” Kass responded snidely which prompted a narrowing of Rea’s eyes.

“Didn’t you hear with all your army contacts? I got absolved of everything since Senator Dodonna offered me a job as a privateer.” Rea shot back as the Jedi master raised a hand.

“Enough. Bicker in your own time if you must but for now we all have a job to do.” He said and everyone fell silent. “Now then...my name is Oteg and I called the Barsen’thor to assist in a dangerous mission to rescue a particular Jedi prisoner who has vital information regarding the Empire. The reason why you both are here is because she believes that you both are up to the task...despite your obvious history.”

Kass stood at ease in silence while Rea rolled her eyes. “I better be paid well for this Narika.”

“You will.” She replied lightly. “Please continue master.”

“Thank you. Now then, before we begin I ask that you keep a open mind. The source of my information is a bit...unconventional as you say?” Oteg responded as Kass raised a eyebrow.

“Why do I have a feeling that this isn’t a standard op?” She asked and Oteg smiled.

“That’s because this isn’t. You were all brought here because your unique insights will be of great use in this mission...now then...considering three of us here aren’t Jedi I’ll need to assist you into seeing some of the Force’s deeper mysteries.” Oteg said as he looked to the woman named Narika. “ Spend a moment concentrating and deepening your connection through meditation while I prepare our audience.” Narika nodded and clasped her hands together in meditation as Oteg looked toward Kass and the others. “Now concentrate with me. Focus your mind, feel the Force around us, hear its echoes…”

Kass raised a skeptical eyebrow at the ...whatever he was and shrugged before deciding to humor the man and clasped her hands together and bowing her head. A weird prickling sensation began at the back of her neck before spreading down her back like a large dose of pins and needles. She opened a eye slightly to see Rea jiggling around and trying not so subtly to get the feeling to go away by scratching the back of her neck.

The sensation intensified and she began to get a strong sense that they weren’t completely alone in the room. On a weird dose of reflex Kass raised her head along with Rea and stared blankly into empty space behind them as something slowly shimmered into existence.

Aric raised a eyebrow as he came out of his…trance to see the strange sight and Narika also had done the same but her gaze was more on the twins rather than their guest for a brief time.

“And there she is...a Jedi without physical form. Her body is long dead but her wisdom...her...essence….lives on.” Oteg said as he approached the kneeled form on the floor. “Most Jedi go their entire lives without experiencing anything like this. You are indeed special.”

“The darkness will consume all it touches.” The figure spoke and Kass tilted her head at the strange tones of the woman’s voice. “Stars will burn black, ashes will rain on lifeless worlds. Everything ends.” She continued before standing with a worried expression. “The prisoner holds the darkness at bay. Lost inside it for three hundred years. His strength will fail, then he will become the darkness.”

“Three hundred years? Man he’d be old.” Rea quipped as Kass turned around to scowl.

“Classy.” She bit back before sighing and turning back to the unknown woman. “We’ll do everything we can to rescue him.” 

“The bond weakens my friend. I’ll take everything from here.” Oteg said quickly as the woman knelt again and quickly faded into nothingness. “She’s told me many things, especially about the existence of an Imperial prison deep in the heart of the ever shifting Maelstrom Nebula along with the way to get there. The only way to safely navigate it is by using a Gree computer hidden in an Imperial fortress.”

“We’ll get the Gree computer for you master.” Narika replied as the others nodded in agreement.

“Good. The fortress we’re invading is on Taral Five. Enemy territory, protected by Imperial warships and too many to simply fight. But we have a captured Imperial shuttle which can slip in under the radar and get you in unnoticed. Meanwhile the fleet will be hiding at the edge of the system’s space so I can monitor your progress and guide you. If something goes wrong, we’ll come running.”

Kass blinked at the gesture. It was entirely unfamiliar to how SpecOps ran as typically once one was on a mission then they were near completely on their own unless the mission called for extra back up. It was partly to keep casualties to a minimum, partly so in case anything hit the fan then the Senate could easily claim no knowledge of the matter...just like the original Havoc. It wasn’t a condition she liked being under but it was one she had learned to live with, so knowing someone would come running was a welcome change.

She and Aric quietly left the room to wait in the hanger as Narika and Rea went to go make final preparations before they set off but Aric quietly pulled her aside before boarding the ship. “You going to be okay and everything? Not just with working with your twin but you still haven’t completely recovered from Balmorra.” 

“I know Dorne was angry when I took on the job two days too soon but I should be fine provided I’m careful. She even went the extra mile of giving me the best medpacks she had.”

“Still...be careful. You know I worry….” Aric replied before pulling a face. “Ugh. I sound like a old man already.”

Kass quietly laughed and nuzzled his cheek. “Nothing wrong with that. I like older men after all…” She said as she moved to kiss him but felt an odd texture on her lips, like she’d kissed something furry rather than soft. Pulling away, she noticed the traces of lipstick squarely on the bridge of his nose.

“Yeah...I think you missed.” Aric said as he smirked and rubbed his nose clean. “But you can make up for it...later.” 

Kass just smiled but sobered quickly when she caught Rea in the background with a smirk on her face. Rather than bite this time she simply walked up the gangplank and into the ship without a word as Aric looked back at Rea. Quickly the face that was a mirror image of his partner’s changed into something sad before she caught his stare.

“Seeing something you like?” She teased as she slid her hands sensuously over her body. “Or maybe I look too much like her that you can’t tell the difference.”

Aric rolled his eyes and folded his arms. “Cut the act. I know you aren’t interested and you know I’m not interested in you so why pull this stunt?”

Rea blinked but laughed when he didn’t react to her little display. “Maybe it's because this is the only way I can ensure my little sister chose a good one. Just as well, you’re a bit too scowly to be my type anyway.” she said and moved to climb aboard the ship but stopped when Aric threw out a arm. “There something you want?”

“An answer...why’d you leave her behind?” Aric asked and Rea’s eyes grew cold.

“Because she wouldn’t have survived...and I was barely able to look after myself.” Rea replied as she sighed heavily. “Not that she’d believe me if I told her anyway. But at sixteen and living off of the streets, you don’t exactly ‘get by’ without having to sacrifice various...things. So even if she hates my guts forever, I did the right thing for all of us.”

“Did you really?” Aric asked coldly. “Do you honestly believe that?”

Rea’s eyes widened in stunned shock as she stared at him. “Maybe...maybe not. But it's in the past now and there’s no point dredging it up considering her opinion won’t change.”

“Try seriously talking with her. No jokes or sarcasm. See where it leads you. Sure, you might end out with a punch to the face but I think it's better than regretting past decisions forever.” Aric said before he moved around her to enter the ship, leaving Rea in thought until Narika popped up behind her and scared the living daylights out of her. Narika gave a small reassuring smile as though she knew exactly what the conversation had been about but otherwise said nothing as she coaxed the white haired woman aboard the ship.

* * *

 

Taral V was different from what Kass had been expecting but then again she’d never seen a Empire aligned world before. The air was hot and sticky, forcing her to pull her hair up into a ponytail so she could at least get some coolness reaching the back of her neck. Every now and again lightning struck somewhere close by which forced them to move, keeping close to things that were taller than they were. 

The beasts running around the place made it difficult, even more so when lurkers would pop out of the ground and chase after them despite their attempts to remain unseen. They took down the defence grid so they could access the base before taking a short break, hidden behind one of the buildings.

The air was tense for more than one reason, Kass had caught Rea making small glances in her direction but said nothing and Narika’s…. ‘stare' was even more disconcerting considering miralukas were born without eyes and used the Force to see. She was also a Jedi shadow, a aspect of the Order that Kass had never known existed before. With it came the power of invisibility so it was startling to watch her pop in and out of view or for her to suddenly disappear and a enemy ahead suddenly decides to take a nap on the spot. Useful...but freaky.

“Alright...according to the map there’s still a fair distance to travel and it won’t be long before the Imperials are aware that we’re here so we need to move fast.” Narika said as she pushed off from her leaning position against the wall.

“I agree mostly but I think they’ll already know we’re here and have set up stealth detection droids across all choke points.” Kass said as she looked at the map. “The bridge will be the biggest problem, especially if they have any knock back capabilities so we’d have to keep our backs facing either where we’re going or where we came from.”

“There’s one other thing I’ve noticed.” Rea said, prompting Kass to look up at her. “They’ll have probably realised by now that all their little patrols and outposts have gone missing and not all of them can be pinned on the animals, why haven’t they started doing airdrops yet?”

Kass blinked and facepalmed. “She’s right. We’ll need to keep an eye above us, particularly over the bridge and within the base itself. The area’s confined which will make it difficult to get around, let alone find cover.”

“So how would you like this handled?” Narika asked as she put away the map.

“The objective is at the top of the hill but there looks to be a few points that we may be able to slip by unnoticed if we’re careful once we’re inside. Though it's more for me and Jorgan that we need to keep a eye on things.” Kass replied as Aric frowned a bit.

“I’ll need to take a closer look on the ground but we’ll need to watch for sniper points as well. If they catch wind that we’re in there then they’ll be on us in three seconds and being on the low ground means minimal cover. I doubt even Rea-Lana’s healing can keep up if they’re all focused on you at once.”

Narika nodded. “Agreed.” she said as a ship flew over their heads and she looked up to follow the sound. “Sounds like they’re catching onto us. Come, we need to leave now.”

Kass nodded and stretched before they all followed Narika’s lead toward the bridge and beyond. At some point Kass paused and looked behind her as she heard the voice from the Jedi spirit thing that she saw on the station though she couldn’t see anyone there. Rea didn’t react and neither did Aric except to pull Kass along when Narika engaged the enemy. The Jedi did falter slightly but still kept the enemy’s focus on her admirably despite the added distraction until they got over the bridge safely. During the moment’s respite she looked to her companions and frowned. “Did any of you hear a voice just now?”

“Sorry, was a bit focused on keeping Mr Scowly over there in one piece after the air support came through.” Rea quipped which prompted an immediate glare in her direction from Aric. Kass on the other hand said absolutely nothing, neither confirming or denying anything as Narika stared at her in silence while Rea and Aric made jabs at one another.

With a sigh Narika continued into the beginning of the complex as soon as the walking guard had safely passed but suddenly she was hauled back and a firm hand rested on her shoulder. “Incoming company people!” Kass warned which stopped the bickering immediately as people went on alert.

True enough in came another round of air support but Kass grew distracted again as the entity’s voice came again. This time Rea reacted and looked around uneasily as they went into battle but luckily it was only a small strike team so it was quickly dealt with thanks to the combined efforts of Kass and Aric.

Kass had to follow the map directions to keep up with Narika and Rea but noticed a shortcut that involved climbing over rails to avoid some kind of weird lurker experiment going on within a building. But they managed to evade more guards and even a large guard droid by hugging closely to the wall until they reached a terminal within the room behind it.

Narika got to work hacking the console but soon they were disturbed by the sudden appearance of a Imperial with full formal uniform. Kass looked closely and noticed the large scarring on his face that reminded her of the words the Force Entity was talking about a brief time ago.

He looked over the crowd before him before his gaze fell on Rea and he blinked in surprise. “You. On my doorstep of all things. Fortune has always indeed favoured me. You’ve certainly been busy since our last meeting on the Esseles but sadly your victories end here. My fleet is about to bombard your position from orbit.”

Kass raised a eyebrow and turned to her twin. “Please don’t tell me that this another one of your latest exes….” She groaned as she squinted closer at the patches on the hologram. “...and a damn Moff of all things!”

“Hah! He wishes.” Rea replied. “But I’m not really into the whole face scarring, blow up your own people, evil guy routine.”

The man clicked his tongue and placed a hand over his heart. “Oh, you wound me with your school yard insults.” He replied before noticing the new company. “Ah then I suppose I should formally introduce myself before my ships disintegrate you all into ash...my name is Grand Moff Kilran. A pleasure to meet you despite the unfortunate circumstances.”

“A Imp with manners...huh...I guess hell does freeze over.” Kass responded as she folded her arms. “Though we’ll just be going now.”

“Oh no no. Please be my guest and stay...forever would be more appealing. After all, it's not often I get to kill a interesting adversary…and with a twin no less.” Kilran said as suddenly the walls started shaking around them. “I see they began early...well then. It’s been a pleasure…” 

Kass watched as Kilran disappeared and sighed. “You always attract the most interesting people Rea…” She said as Narika cleared her throat.

“We need to keep moving or risk being buried under.” She replied as she looked to the ceiling. “This...bunker should last a while but it won’t keep going forever. We’ll need to contact Oteg with for a alternate exit quickly.”

Rea nodded. “Hey cat man. Can you make the call quickly while I keep everyone up.”

Aric narrowed his eyes. “If you’re going to call me anything, either Jorgan or Lieutenant. Not “cat man”.”

“Fine fine fine.” Rea said as she jerked her thumb toward the door. “We’ll go ahead while you go do that. See you shortly….cat man.”

Aric grumbled as he pulled his holocom and Kass lightly patted his arm while Rea and Narika took point ahead. “Hey, I’ll make it up to you later...alright?” Kass murmured in his ear which brought a small smile to his face. 

“I’ll hold you to it. For now though go, I’ll be right behind you.” He said as he gave her a small nudge. She nodded and went to follow the others while he made the call.

Apparently there was a door that would lead them to a hanger bay right at the very back of the base but they had to pass through Sith and Imperial soldiers alike before they could get to it. He couldn’t help but feel that it was proper stereotypical fashion for the objective to be right at the very absolute end of a bloody base.

The thought aside, he managed to catch up fairly quickly to the group as they made their full assault deeper into the base. Though Aric did notice that oddly enough, that none of the personnel seemed overly concerned that their base was currently under assault from who knows how many of their own warships above their heads. Common sense would usually be for everyone to people to head to evacuation points, not treat it like business as usual and just go after the intruder.

The general at the end of the base seemed to feel a bit more urgency as he tried but failed to stop them reaching the scientist on a level above his head. So he stood back with the others and let Narika handle the matter before they ran to the shuttle bay.

“What was the verdict Jorgan?” Kass panted as they ran.

“Oteg said that they can’t get the ship in so we need to take one of theirs. They’re borrowing us as much time as possible but they can’t hold for too much longer.” Aric replied quickly. 

“Leave it to me folks. I’ll have us out in a jiffy.” Rea said as she ran ahead to the nearest ship and opened the door. “Hey, sister of mine. Grab the hanger door would you?”

Kass looked like someone had forced her to drink sour milk as she veered off course to grab the main exit while everyone else ran aboard the ship. She sprinted at full pelt back toward the ship as it started to move and threw herself aboard, her chest heaving with the effort as she fought to catch her breath. “Trying to...leave me behind?” she eventually managed as Aric helped her up into a sitting position.

“Moi? No no. I knew you’d make it.” Rea replied as she zipped out of the atmosphere and into open space. “By the way...I need to borrow you for five minutes when we get back. Do me a favor and leave the gun with your...subordinate….partner….person.”

Kass raised an eyebrow at that and looked at Aric who just stared back without a word but instead he squeezed her shoulder. “Fine…” she responded as she leaned back against the wall of the ship and closed her eyes to rest peacefully for just a little while

* * *

 

Aric stood with Narika back on the Telos as they waited for Kass and Rea to finish talking outside. True to her word, she left her gun with Aric but there was a large smack sound as Kass punched Rea solidly in the face just once.

He looked around the corner of Oteg’s door to ensure everything was okay and there wasn’t anything further going on beyond talking and Kass hadn’t tried to kill her twin. Rea was talking and Kass was just listening but her expression was cold and hard. Eventually she waved a hand before entering the room, her face turning very carefully blank as they stood before Oteg.

“I see that you’re done talking then?” Oteg asked as Kass nodded and Rea took a place beside Narika. “Excellent. Now then...I have to admit you cut your escape awfully close. Grand Moff Kilran destroyed the fortress just moments after you left. We suffered heavy losses at Taral Five: the Dantooine, the Serroco….more starfighters than I care to count.”

They all shifted uncomfortably at the mention of the losses as Oteg had a moment silence. “To honor them and rescue the Jedi prisoner, we need to strike the prison now before they can bolster their defenses. No doubt Kilran knows exactly what we want by now.”

“I agree.” Kass said as she folded her arms. “Also your...friend...decided to make a appearance. Couldn’t see her but I...we…could hear her voice.”

Oteg gave her a intrigued stare as she pursed her lips tightly, wishing she’d said nothing. “Very interesting…” He said as he rubbed his chin. “Considering that three of you aren’t force users...hmm…”

“Anyway, back to the task at hand. How soon until we hit the prison.” Kass cut in quickly, effectively derailing the line of conversation, hard. “You said we needed to move quickly?”

“Ah, yes…” Oteg replied with a small frown. “My technicians have already plugged the Gree computer into the Talos and are plotting a safe course through to the Maelstrom Prison. For that I’ll need my best people on the job as you’re the only chance the Jedi prisoner has of escaping alive.”

“What about the rest of the prisoners, Master?” Narika asked with a concerned frown. “We don’t intend to be leaving them in there as well are we?”

Oteg shook his head. “Fear not. The prison was designed specifically to hold this particular Jedi. Aside from other personnel, there’s only one actual prisoner in there. I will warn you though, this mission will cost more lives before it’s over, but it’s a necessary sacrifice. This Jedi can end the war and save countless worlds in the process.”

Both Kass and Aric frowned at that. It was a very bold claim to pin the hopes on just one person, considering today’s times and environment...the idea that one Jedi could stop two factions from warring with one another and save whole worlds seemed far fetched to say the least. Sure change to that degree had happened before but it generally required a full blown army and big guns. They felt the ship jump into hyperspace under their feet and Oteg gave the order for all of them to meet in the shuttle bay once they had arrived to their destination.

As Kass left the room she felt eyes on her back and noticed Oteg giving her a very intense stare before his eyes relaxed and he slipped into a meditative state. The hair on the back of Kass’s neck rose and she quickly escaped from the area to find somewhere to hole up for a while, well away from the man’s gaze and reach.


	32. Into the Maelstrom

Kass investigated the crew decks quietly while they were still in hyperspace and sat down in the back corner of a room while a movie was playing. She was amused to find that this seemed to be the Telos crew’s way of psyching themselves up for the big battle ahead by playing Republic action films via a large holo projector. It brought a little smile to her face as she rested her head against the cold metal wall to watch in silence.

A room had been assigned for their use but she’d found it difficult to sleep soundly with all the extra people. Though it might have been because she was too used to Aric’s warm furry presence in bed with her during the evenings that unconsciously she missed it. In any case she was fighting not to doze off during the action sequences and somewhat crappy romance lines as the hero swung across a room with his presumably girlfriend of the hour. 

She only looked up when a shadow fell across her in the darkened room and she looked up to find a pair of green eyes staring at her. “I take it you couldn’t sleep either?”

“Bit hard to. No offence but after your sister drinks, damn she snores like hell.” Aric murmured before taking a seat beside her. “That and I kind of miss sleeping with the angry bear.”

“I’m a bear now am I?” Kass asked with a raised eyebrow. “Well you just lost mattress privileges. As soon as we get home, provided Vik didn’t decide to pawn my ship, you’re sleeping on the floor.”

“Still more comfortable than having to practically use your own gun for a pillow so you don’t get rocks in your ear.” Aric replied before reaching around her and pulled her close so her head rested on his shoulder. Her hands instantly moved to his thigh so she could brace herself in case people caught onto what they were up to. “Stop that and just relax. The others are too focused on the movie to pay attention to us creeps in the shadows.”

“First a bear and now I’m a creep?” She asked with a small chuckle.

“Well you have your moments…” Aric teased as his hand slipped to her waist, he focused on the movie right as a awkward romance scene began and the mains proceeded stripping. “Is this what qualifies for entertainment these days?”

“I wasn’t paying all that much attention...oh…” Kass said as she stared at the screen right as things became hot and heavy. “I...okay...I really feel like a creep now.” She began to be a little too aware of the warmth of Aric’s hand on her waist and the sound of his heart in her ear. “Uh...to be fair...I’m not a fan of hero swoops in and saves the girl kind of movies.”

“I’m inclined to agree.” He replied, absently trailing his fingers over her hip as though he could pick up on her trail of thought. “I prefer the female leads to be on much more of a even footing with the male ones. Depth...complexity...much more actively...uhh...participating in certain….things.”

Kass’s skin tingled as she looked down and caught the nails on his hand lengthening into claws in the dim light from the film. She felt his fingers cautiously slip under the waistband to her pants until he touched bare skin and ever so carefully, ran his claws over her bare hip. Upon looking up she noticed that he wasn’t paying attention to the movie but instead on her and her reaction as she bit her lip. “Whatever happened to three dates? You’re cutting it real fine here.”

“I think this would count as date number two. We have a cringe worthy movie to watch in practically a holotheater, all we’re short on is the snacks.” Aric murmured as he ran his fingers over the scars he’d left so long ago. Feeling their texture gently with a small smirk she couldn’t really see. “That’s if we’re going by classic dating standards, mind you.”

Kass made a soft noise as shivers raced up her spine. “True...dinner and a movie both count. But...you’re pushing it…” She replied as she heard him chuckle and it made her growl a bit in mock annoyance. “Fine...since it’s only fair.” She moved her hand from his thigh so her fingers drifted across his groin with enough pressure so he could feel it and suddenly he cut off mid chuckle.

“Deciding to play with fire are we?” Aric growled dangerously, his hand slipping deeper to drift over her ass, making her jerk suddenly against him as the fur of his wrist brushed a particularly sensitive spot at the base of her spine.

“You started it…” Kass replied, her voice sounding strangled as she reached round and pulled his hand out of her pants. She glanced around the room and thankfully no one was even remotely paying attention to them. Their faces were completely glued to the holoprojection and there was enough noise to cover up their conversation. Looking up she caught Aric looking confused before she scrambled to straddle his lap. “Here’s a question, Lieutenant...what’re we going to say if per say someone happens to notice us hmm?” 

“That they need to keep their eyes to themselves…” Aric said as he grinned and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Kass chuckled and ran her fingertips over his nose as he tilted his head up to kiss them. “Never figured you for being the risky type, Jorgan. I have to admit.” 

“There’s a lot you don’t know, sir.” He murmured as he leaned into her ear and nipped the lobe gently, making her sigh deeply. “Besides...I still need a full and detailed report in regards to our personal history.”

Her hands drifted up to rest on his shoulders as he lightly ran his lips across her cheek to her lips. “I think...I think I can do that. Think you can set aside a evening after this mission? It needs active participation.” She asked she ran her fingers over the back of his neck, feeling a small thrill as she watched his eyes darken.

“That I can do. Though I think two days sounds more appealing so you better have a clear schedule for once.” He growled before roughly kissing her. 

Kass responded immediately and opened her mouth to allow him access as her heart leapt in her chest in excitement. She gripped onto him tightly, losing herself in his taste and feeling the firm texture of his lips as he kissed her deeply. Around her waist she felt Aric tighten his hold, as though in an unspoken promise of that he would never let her go.

Slowly one of Aric’s arms moved and slid up her back until he reached her hair, pulling it so Kass’s head was forced back. It broke their kiss and she panted to the ceiling as Aric’s fingers tangled deeper in her hair. She felt him grip it more firmly so she couldn’t move and closed her eyes when she felt his hot breath against her neck. “Aric…” she manage to quietly groan before gasping when something sharp slid down the column of her neck. “What’re you….?”

“Shhhh.” Aric responded before licking over the path he just traced with his teeth, making Kass jerk sharply against him.

Kass’s heart pounded hard in her chest as she got lost in the sensations her body was giving her and the hot weight of need settled itself firmly between her legs. Unconsciously it made her grind herself against him in an effort to appease the need and desire for him. She cursed his name behind gritted teeth when Aric started nuzzling between her neck and shoulder, planting soft kisses against her skin. A mere moment was all she had between feeling his hot breath on her neck and the sharp pain as he bit down on her skin.

Kass drew her lip between her teeth she wouldn’t cry out as pain and pleasure blended into one glorious moment inside her. Her hands reached up on perhaps a old reflex, to stroke the back of Aric’s head and neck in a soothing gesture until slowly he let go with a hungry look in his eyes. The look quickly faded into horror when he realised what he’d done and he quietly cursed. “Fuck. I am so sorry. I-I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

Kass blinked as near painful need replaced the sensations she was feeling moments ago. “It's fine…” She ground out as she eventually noticed the pain from the broken skin, but the wound was the furthest thing from her mind as she stared deeply into his eyes. “Just...don’t stop. I need it... I need you.”

Aric gritted his teeth as his body instantly hardened thanks to those words and Kass’s grinding straight over his cock didn’t help matters one bit. He threw caution to the wind as he cupped the back of her neck and moved to pull her in for another kiss when the ship shook violently under them and alarms started blaring. 

Kass leapt away from him like a startled vorn tiger and he pulled himself up before they both ran at full sprint toward the hanger lockers where their armor and weapons were being stored temporarily to dress.

The door opened a few minutes later revealing Rea and Narika as they also hurried in and Rea instantly raised a eyebrow at her twin. She noted Kass’s flushed face, messed makeup and heavily dishevelled hair while Aric’s fur was all messy, covered in lipstick and his eyes were darker than normal. A large smug smirk appeared on her face and Kass blushed further despite glaring in her direction.

Shaking her head, Rea reached into a pocket and pulled out a mirror along with some tissues. “You might want to clean yourselves up.” She said as Narika quietly smiled and climbed aboard the ship while Rea tossed the equipment and followed.

Both parties looked completely mortified as they cleaned themselves up and hurried aboard the ship, quickly wishing that a black hole would suddenly develop and swallow them whole.

* * *

Neither of them said anything much throughout the journey in the prison, much to Rea’s immense amusement as every now and again she’d look at them with a sly smirk which instantly made Kass blush hard.

At some point Kilran grew aware of their presence and greeted them when they deactivated a security console so they could access the lift. “Your persistence is quite impressive, I have to admit. Most of my foes have the decency to die quickly. Yes...I arrived before you and bided my time in the nebula.”

“Seriously...you need a better hobby. Maybe take up fishing, start a book club. There doesn’t need to be all this harr harr maim murder stuff.” Rea responded as Kilran shrugged.

“I think by this point, your voice being silenced will be the sweetest moment of all. Oteg spread his forces too thin...it will cost him his life...and yours of course. Darth Malgus will be most pleased.”

“We should really meet in person...maybe make both sides of your face match in the process.” Kass cut in before Rea could get a word out. “It’d look a lot better with symmetry and all that.”

“Yes. This ought to be personal shouldn’t it?” Kilran retorted as he straightened. “I’ll see the light in your eyes extinguished. Feel free to scurry about our prison. But once I destroy your fleet, I’ll find you.” He vowed as the display suddenly changed to Oteg.

“Master Oteg, retreat for now and lure the enemy into as many traps as you can to thin Kilran’s fleet.” Narika said quickly “But if you stay here you’ll die. We’ll be able to find a way out from here since we have Kilran’s attention but you need to go. Now.”

Oteg nodded. “I’ll keep the com channel open, but I can assure you we won’t be leaving without you. See you soon and good luck.”

The Jedi shadow closed the com on the terminal and they hurried together to face the next onslaught of enemies in the deeper levels. It took work, especially considering Rea got distracted by shiny objects and summoned a very large and angry creature from a containment cage in the floor. It promptly sent Kass flying behind a large crate where she couldn’t assist anyone and had to be helped out by a sheepish looking twin once the battle was over, much to her annoyance.

They reached the very last room and Kass noticed out of the corner of her eye that there was a figure floating in a large energy field before her gaze turned to Kilran who stood with two guards behind him. Movement in the shadowy background distracted her and she counted at least four more soldiers waiting on Kilran’s command. She sneakily let Rea and Aric know of the extras by giving a vague nod off to the right before focusing on Kilran.

“At least your punctuality is commendable. You spared me the waiting.” He looked over to a holodisplay that showed the form of Darth Malgus, standing there with his arms folded as he listened in on the conversation. “My lord, I promised to rid you of this nuisance. This embarrassing farce ends here.”

“I agree it's embarrassing alright. But more so for you for failing….what...three times?” Kass slipped in and smiled a bit as Kilran turned red with rage.

“Securing the Emperor’s prisoner is your only priority. Deal with these irritants another time.” Darth Malgus said to Kilran, completely ignoring Kass’s snark.

“Oh look at that twin of mine, we’re irritants now. I would have thought at least the Sith could create better insults.” Rea said as she smirked to Kass who shrugged.

“Too true. A polite Sith who would have-” Kass was cut off swiftly and suddenly lifted into the air by her neck as she scrabbled at the invisible force that was strangling her.

“Kass!” Rea shouted as Aric acted on reflex and shot the holoterminal. The visage of Darth Malgus fizzed out and Kass was released from the Sith’s grip with pained gasping. 

Narika moved to charge Kilran but was stopped when he threw down a large smoke grenade and blasted himself backwards using rockets built into his boots to set up a sniper point. Aric noticed this and quickly pulled Kass’s arm so she awkwardly followed him into cover as Narika sped behind a large machine and pulled a soldier with her.

Aric brushed Kass’s hair from her face as she coughed and gasped against him. “I need you to fight it, Kass. Work on slow deep breaths alright? We’ve still got a way’s to go.”

She nodded as Rea rolled to them, narrowly avoiding Kilran’s shot which hit the floor right where she was standing a moment ago. “Kass, if you have your harpoon, head over to Narika and pull what soldiers you can in. Loverboy can pick off one of the others but leave keeping everyone in one piece to me alright?”

Kass nodded again as she relaxed her breathing despite the urge to cough nearly overcoming her. Carefully she picked her way over to Narika and pulled another soldier in range with her harpoon while the miraluka did something with the force that made the back of her neck tingle and caused the stragglers to come running.

Aric and Rea regrouped with them as they carefully worked in close range to take out the enemy but it was insanely difficult considering that nearly all parties were carrying long range weaponry and Kass had to move back marginally to use her full set of attacks.

Narika made it easy thankfully and kept everyone’s focus on her as she threw random objects and even used metal from the floor as a kind of barrier to protect herself from harm while the others whittled the soldiers down. Thankfully Kilran didn’t shift position though Kass suspected that was more from cowardice as opposed to tactics since there was plenty of places to move that he could easily snipe them all from with one hit.

Narika cautiously hurried over to Kilran and brought his attention on her with her little taunting ability which gave Aric and Kass the time they needed to get within range and start attacking Kilran, forcing him on the retreat quickly as he threw another smoke grenade and darted up the steps near to the door he’d originally entered from.

Kass felt nausea hit her square in the gut and she pulled Aric up short as he moved to give chase. “I doubt he’d be alone. Stay behind those crates up there and pick anyone off that comes our way. I’ll join Narika in taking down Kilran.” Aric frowned but nodded as he shifted to position. Kass waited until Narika had Kilran’s attention once more and moved to support her by storming up and delivering a solid blow to him with her stockstrike.

True to her word back up started rocketing in and Aric soon had his hands full dealing with several troopers before they could fire upon Kass and Narika. Rea kept him patched up as they focused him with their fire but she rolled around and assisted with a well placed kick to a groin or two, hard enough to make Aric wince as they doubled over in winded pain before he took them out.

As soon as they were down he moved to go back up Kass only to find she and Narika had taken down Kilran though the latter was rather wounded.

Rea instantly got to work patching the Jedi up with kolto while Kass moved over to the terminal that kept the Jedi prisoner caged and disengaged the locking mechanism that held him.

The man dropped to the ground face first with a pained grunt before rolling out from his former cage and looking around in confusion. “Where...what’s happened? I can feel….no...no!” He shouted as he stood up and staggered toward his former cell. “What have you done? There’s nothing to restrain him now.”

“Please forgive us but we were ordered to rescue you by Jedi master Oteg and….someone else…” Narika said as Kass looked over and saw the Jedi entity walk into view.

“Yeah….uh….by that woman.” Kass said as she pointed to her. 

Aric and Rea blinked in confusion and looked in the direction she was pointing. “You okay there Kass? You sure that choking earlier didn’t knock a screw loose….or maybe several?”

Kass glared and sighed as the entity smiled faintly in Revan’s direction as he stared in shock. “You...you should be one with the Force.”

The entity shook her head. “No peace while your strength fails. You must be free or all is lost.”

“You damned idiot Meetra…” He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I could have handled it.” He said then cringed as the entity narrowed her eyes at him.

“The Emperor drowned you in black waters...denial is not the way.” She responded calmly as the man sighed.

“You’re right. You always were. He wanted me to be Darth Revan again. Serve him like I did centuries ago.” 

Rea raised her eyebrow. “Wow Revan. What’s your secret to looking so young?” she asked and promptly scored a smack upside the head from her twin.

“Would you be serious for five minutes. Just five minutes.” Kass complained.

“Nope. Too hard.” Rea responded as Revan faintly chuckled.

“If you don’t mind Sith alchemy, centuries of torture by both the Sith Emperor and his Dread Masters….I’m sure you can come out looking as pretty as me.” Revan replied with the vague hint of a amused smile as Rea snapped her fingers, looking disappointed.

“Damn. Another anti-aging treatment ruined by the deathly side effects.” She complained before catching on to the other three members of the team staring at her blankly. Awkwardly she scratched the back of her neck and fell silent after giving a small wave for them to continue the conversation.

“Sorry about her.” Kass apologised with a sigh. “She was always the weird one in the family.”

Revan smiled. “Don’t be. It's a good thing to see after so long...where I was.” He sobered quickly at that and sighed. “When I originally fell to the dark side, I became the Emperor’s pawn. He used me as a weapon against the Republic and the Jedi. At least until the Jedi destroyed me and then rebuilt me from the ground up.” Revan turned to them and folded his hands over his lap as he looked at them all seriously. “When I had fully recovered and located him, I gathered my allies to finally take him down for good. But we didn’t understand his true power one bit.”

“What do you mean?” Narika asked with a deep frown.

“The Emperor...is more powerful than we could have imagined. Than I could have imagined. Because of my error and betrayal from within, I lost one of my dearest friends.” He replied as he looked toward Meetra’s spirit with a expression of deep sadness and regret before it changed to a frown. “You’ve been protecting me all this time, haven’t you?”

Meetra nodded. “You needed the strength to resist, alone you would have fallen to the darkness long ago.”

Revan looked thoughtful at that. “Thank you. For everything.” He said quietly before continuing. “The Emperor used me as a link to the light side, through me he could see and experience visions. I believe that the same link caused me to have influence over him as well. Through it I tempered his hatred and his desires to conquer the galaxy. I fear now that the peace will be lost without me to hold him in place.”

Meetra nodded. “You need to flee now. Use the enemy’s vessels to make your escape. The Emperor will make his final war sooner than you think.”

Kass frowned at that as she looked to Aric, wondering what would happen and maybe feeling a little afraid if the worst were ever to happen. He caught her looking intently in his direction and his gaze softened a little despite him saying nothing at all.

There was a sudden blast of light as the entity known as Meetra disappeared and Revan made a small bow. “Thank you, all of you.” He said politely before making his way toward a different hanger so he could escape on a shuttle.

Narika gestured to Kilran’s former shuttle. “We should leave now while we still have the chance and rendezvous with Oteg. Is everyone ready to go?” They all nodded and ran for the shuttle, only stopping to rest once they were aboard and well away from Maelstrom Prison for good.


	33. Fight

Kass sighed in blessed relief at being back home once more as she flopped on her bed. Aric had run to go shower and clean off the muck from the battle with Kilran. He much prefered the Thunderclap’s more private shower than the Talos’s ones, though Kass suspected he had a alternate reason for waiting until he got home. Not that she’d say anything about it...for more than one reason.

A knock on the doorframe got her attention and she looked up to find Seeto on the opposite side. “Something wrong Seeto?”

“Um...no master. But Master Vik wishes to see you, he says it can’t wait.” Seeto answered, actually sounding somewhat nervous for a change.

Kass raised a eyebrow before sighing and getting up. “Thanks Seeto...I’ll go see what he wants.” She replied before reluctantly walking to the back of the ship. Vik was there, leaning against his usual wall and reading a datapad when he looked up on her arrival.

“Ah, there you are, boss.” He greeted with a small wave. “I got some news lined up about that weapons deal on Balmorra.”

“Wait...what? You had another damn buyer for those prototypes?” Kass growled as she folded her arms.

“No. This is from a second weapons deal I had going on Balmorra. I originally had a different buyer for the stuff but he wasn’t offering as much as I liked so I bailed on him.” Vik replied with a deep chuckle that made Kass irritated and fast. “While you were gone the cheap jerk thought he’d put a scare into me and threatened to sic his army of bounty hunters on my ass.”

“Vik…what did you do?” Kass asked as she worked on keeping her temper under control. Her voice took on a strained tone as a result and it made Vik raise a brow.

“I believe I just explained didn’t I? Guy’s name is “Red Hand” Magran. He runs a few guns and thinks he’s a real tough guy.” Vik replied as he started walking to the main holocom before Kass could get in another word. All she could do was stand there with her arms folded as a devaronian appeared over the comline while Vik gave him a cheery wave. “Hey there, Red.”

Kass noticed Dorne and Forex coming out from the briefing room but said nothing for the moment as she waited to see how bad this was going to get.

“My guns, Vik. Where are they?” Red snapped quickly as Vik chuckled.

“Well, I was having a nice chat with my new boss- Kassela Ithesda. You know, the commander of Havoc Squad?- and we decided to go with another buyer instead. Sorry you missed out Red.” Vik responded as Kass clenched her fists so tightly to the point they drew blood as her nails bit into her palm.

“Yeah and I’m secretly the the King of Alderaan-” Red retorted but stopped speaking when Kass moved to the holocom with a expression of clear murder on her face when she cut the call in complete silence.

“Vik...did you actually use my full name at any point prior to this call?” She asked as she turned around to face him.

Vik looked surprised for once rather than smug as he folded his arms. “Sure I did. Have to admit, I was surprised to find just how much sway you had out there.”

Kass was silent. Eerily so for a time. Enough to make even Vik shift his stance in discomfort as Kass stood there glaring at him in outright hatred. “So you used my name and reputation so you could get a bigger price for that original deal you had...and to hope I’d scare off that Red guy?” She eventually asked.

“Sounds about right.” Vik responded honestly.

“That’s it.” Kass snapped as her temper flew completely out of control. “I tolerated your nerfshit. I tolerated your attitude and hell I even covered for your ass on Balmorra and this is how you treat me?! So not only do you drag -my- name through the mud but you turned my ship into a smuggling ring?!” Her voice rose in volume until she was completely roaring in his face. “What the hell were you thinking?!!”

Vik just blinked for a moment before the sickest smirk she’d ever seen appeared on his face. “Are you so afraid of Command throwing you, of all people, out? Their best, most oh so dutiful soldier?” He mocked. “You know I discovered something really really interesting. Turns out there’s a woman who’s pretty well known in my contacts. Pretty much a dead ringer for you if you ignore the white hair and cheek scar.”

Kass’s eyes widened in shock and Vik’s face turned triumphant as he continued. “Stories go, that she’s a runaway from the famous Draeth family. If that’s true...and if she’s your twin... I’m sure daddy dearest of yours will come rushing to bail you out anyway.” Vik slowly approached. Caging her against the comtable with his large bulk as he stood over her and leaned in very close. Kass heard him deeply inhale before he laughed. “But I’m not sure how the brass will take knowing that you’ve been screwing your own subordinates. They might start seeing Jorgan’s promotion as favoritism after all.”

“Vik!” Came a roar from somewhere nearby. “Back away from the captain. That’s an order!”

Kass looked to find Aric standing near the stairs to the cockpit and giving Vik a look of murder. She noticed his claws were fully extended and prepared for a fight as Vik straightened. “Oh yes sir. Sure thing. Wouldn’t want your lover to get hurt now would you?” He responded sarcastically.

In that split second everything changed as the tension snapped. Aric threw the towel he’d had over his shoulder off to the side and instantly leapt on Vik, tackling the weequay to the floor. He threw hard and rough punches as Vik threw his own back but they landed a lot heavier than the cathar’s.

Dorne frantically looked between the frozen captain and the brawling men on the floor before she ran and shook Kass’s shoulder hard. “Sir! Snap out of it! Are you really going to lose command because of this idiot?!” she yelled in Kass’s ear.

Kass blinked as her mind started working again. She needed to stop this, now or this squad and everything that’d fought for would mean absolutely nothing. If she did nothing, all their careers would hit the ‘fresher and they wouldn’t be recoverable this time. 

“Forex to me!” Kass yelled and grabbed onto the back of Aric’s shirt. Roughly she pulled him off with all her strength and shoved him well out of Vik’s reach as she planted her boot on the weequay’s chest.

Vik growled and grabbed her leg but stopped when he saw Forex’s cannon pointed straight at him.

“I would regret using this on a servant of the Republic. But if I must, for the good of the squad, then I will.” Forex said as he stared down at Vik who raised his hands in surrender.

“So...what now?” Vik said as he spat out some blood from a cut lip. “Can’t imagine this is going to go over well with the brass either.”

Kass removed her boot from his chest and glared at Aric. “Everyone to the cargo bay. Time this was completely sorted for good.” She growled and started walking to the back. Vik was close behind as she started undoing the fastenings to the casual shirt she was wearing. “Armor off Vik.” She quickly ordered.

“Kinky.” He responded sarcastically which prompted a disgusted noise from Aric as he stripped from his armor. Vik decided to go the extra mile by stripping his undershirt. “Then again you do have exotic tastes. What? Never seen a scarred up man before?”

Kass gave him a glance and noticed that Vik’s leathery skin was covered in scar tissue. Some she noticed came from knives, others were the tell tale sign of being hit by a blaster bolt while still more were something different entirely. She shrugged and pulled her loosened shirt over her head. “Eh. Scar tissue. Nothing new.”

Vik’s eyes widened slightly as he looked over his CO who now stood before him in just a sports crop, pants and boots. He had to admit, he was surprised to find that Kass was almost as equally covered in battle wounds as he. Especially considering how conservative her clothing choices were. 

Confused and somewhat intrigued, he took a couple of deep breaths as Kass began stretching in front of him after tying back her hair. Different pheromones were in the air and his mind picked out each one and where they were coming from. Sexual attraction, anger and worry came from Jorgan as he watched the captain intently. Dorne was worried too but also afraid despite her impassive face. 

Kass on the other hand was a complicated mixture ranging from outright fear, anger and discomfort to her own attraction. Though the latter was solely focused toward Jorgan when she gave him a small glance. Oddly they both shared another similar scent but he couldn’t really give it a name nor begin to understand it. Then again it wasn’t really his concern anyway. “So. I assume you didn’t just call me here for a dance...or some kind of weird sex thing.”

“No. I didn’t. We’re here to spar.” Kass replied as she rolled her shoulders and began sizing him up. “It's more than clear you don’t respect me, nor this crew, nor what we stand for.”

“How observant.” Vik said sarcastically. “So. You’re finally doing what no other commanding officer has done in putting me in my place.”

“Since that’s about the only thing you’ll listen to, or am I wrong?” She asked and Vik just laughed.

“That depends on _if_  you can win. Alright. What’re the conditions?”

“No going for the eyes or groin and nothing that breaks bones or causes a lasting injury. In case we have a mission tomorrow.” Kass responded. “If I lose our little bout then I go along with whatever hair brained scheme you have running and bail you out from Red’s minions.”

“Interesting. And what happens if you win?” Vik asked with mild interest.

“Then you deal with Red yourself and don’t use my name, squad, reputation or my ship in your ‘deals' again. Oh and you’ll also shut up and follow my orders without the sass.” Kass said as she folded her arms.

“Hah. Seems the terms are a little uneven there, boss. But, I’ll take the deal...not that I intend to lose.” He replied and Kass looked to Dorne and Aric.

“Dorne, I want you to be the judge of this and make sure both sides fight fair. Jorgan if things get too rough then I’ll need you to split us up. Use Forex’s stun if you have to.” Kass ordered but Aric just frowned and said nothing. She noticed his face was beginning to swell from the earlier fight but said nothing on it, she’d deal with that later. Taking a few deep breaths and borrowing on her anger from earlier for strength she got into combat stance. “Come at me then.”

Vik just smirked before hopping into a brawler stance and tested the waters by throwing a few punches at her. Kass dodged or deflected the blows so none scored a direct hit and Vik just growled as his temper grew quickly. “Quick little thing aren’t you?”

Kass didn’t respond and let him punch his way through but it was beginning to take a toll. Sure Vik was slower than she was, but he still hit a hell of a lot harder. It wasn’t long before there was a solid ringing sensation in her hands and arms as she blocked him. She knew she’d have to go on the offensive very soon or she’d lose the fight completely, so her mind raced to formulate a plan.

“Come on already!” Vik roared, growing angry that the battle was taking so long. “Or are you just scared of admitting I’m stronger than you are?”

“Fair enough.” Kass grunted as she dodged around Vik’s punch to his left side and swung a solid roundhouse to his side while he recovered. It landed hard and Vik blinked in surprise before he finally reacted and tightened his frontal guard. 

Kass made a tutting noise at his reaction. “You know Vik, you’re never going to get anywhere until you bother looking at the bigger picture.” Vik glared and growled like a large bear as he moved faster with his punches. Despite his speed up, Kass still dodged around him and shifted to his sides and unprotected back.

Since Vik was bigger and stronger than she was by a mile she needed to be fast and hit his weak spots. Otherwise, if she wasn’t careful, he’d knock her flat in three seconds.

Kass kicked at his knees, slammed her elbow into the side of his ribs and did the same for the base of his spine, though the latter seemed to make him more angry.

Suddenly Vik surprised her by turning faster than she expected and grabbed her tightly in his hands. His arms slipped under hers in an attempt to make a submission hold and Kass winced as she quickly felt the strain in her shoulders. “Submit and I’ll let go, sir. You can...trust me.” He panted against her ear.

She didn’t have much time and if he completed the hold then she’d lose for sure. Quickly she pushed her elbows down, working against Vik to ensure he couldn’t complete the hold before locking one of her legs behind his. 

Kass panted hard as she fought against Vik to bend herself and grab the backs of his knees before pulling forward with all the strength that she had.

One moment Vik was gloating that he’d managed to pin his commanding officer. The next, his balance was completely gone as his sore knees buckled under him and the back of his head hit the floor with a heavy thud. Realizing what just happened he struggled to get up but a boot was firmly planted on his chest and he saw a fist headed straight for his face. On reflex he closed his eyes but there was no solid thud, no bursts of pain beyond what was already there…

Curiosity got the better of him and he opened his eyes. He could still see a closed fist in his view but it was slowly being retracted as Kass stood up. “You’re not gonna finish me off?”

“No point. And I said we might have to work tomorrow.” Kass looked toward Dorne. “I’d say that’s a point to me?”

“I’m more inclined to call you all stupid and wonder if one too many blows to the head caused permanent damage.” She replied as she rubbed the bridge of her nose in exasperation. “I apologise for overstepping my rudeness, sir.”

“No. It's fine. We all deserve it anyway.” She replied as she looked around the room. “Okay. Since no one looks to have any lasting injuries, report back to your posts. The matter’s done. Settled. No more bringing it back up.”

Forex and Dorne left immediately but Aric lingered a moment, just silently giving her a stare before going as well. Once the room was clear and Vik had picked himself up, Kass turned to him. “How’d you know? About me and him I mean.”

“Do some study on weequay biology. Then you’ll have your answer.” Vik grunted. “But if you don’t mind, sir, I need to begin sorting out this mess with Red.”

“Good. Don’t ever forget the deal or I’ll wipe the floor with you again.” Kass responded as she walked out. She only heard a slight bit of laughter behind her but paid it no mind. The problem was hopefully sorted and Vik would keep everything to himself rather than blab it out.

Hopefully...this would be the end to the tension between Vik and the remainder of her crew, provided he listened to her now without too much of the snark. But she wasn’t looking forward to having to answer to her family for this mess. Deep in her mind she sent out a little prayer to the stars that maybe they wouldn’t find out for once...then again, they always did.


	34. Tensions

“Jorgan, you got a minute?” Kass asked as she leaned against the doorframe to the armory. She watched as Aric stiffened and looked over his shoulder. 

“Can it wait for a bit? I’m in the middle of some gun calibrations.” He responded and Kass raised her eyebrows at him.

  
“Did...you just game quote me to get me to leave?” She asked incredulously while folding her arms. “Never mind. All you have to do listen so you don’t need to show me what you’re doing with your...gun.”

That got his attention and he turned around with a scowl. “Get out of the gutter.”

“Believe me I’m trying, but you were the one who fed me the line.” She replied as she shook her head. “Right...that aside. I’m letting you know that we’re about to land on Quesh and I’m taking Havoc.To be more accurate, I’m taking Dorne and Forex. You and Vik are staying here.”

Aric’s scowl deepened and he folded his arms. “If this is a large mission, you need all of Havoc. You’re putting yourself in unnecessary risk by only taking half of us.”

Kass’s face quickly developed a glare. “And you’re forgetting that you were the one who started the punch up with Vik, avoided me for the past several days and wouldn’t even let me get a word in edgewise until now. Not even to instil your punishment. Have any comments toward that?”

He opened his mouth to say something before shutting it again and shrugging. The gesture annoyed Kass to no end but there was little she could do right now since Quesh was the higher priority. 

“Simply put, you’re banned from leaving the ship unless it’s under dire emergency. Vik’s got the same punishment and he’s already pissed I hid his stash of detonite somewhere. So do me a favor and make sure he doesn’t decide to tear the ship apart looking for it.” She said as she met his glare dead on. “And when I get home, you and I are going to actually sit down and talk.”

Aric remained mute and scowled while Kass scowled right back. It felt like instead of getting closer they’d somehow teleported right back to when they first met when arguing and fighting was a more regular part of their interactions. Her gaze softened to a deeply sad expression and he reacted by reaching out a hand to her, but stopped when he heard Forex’s clanking outside.

A awkward tension built in the air as Kass looked behind her and sighed before she left him alone. Aric watched her go and felt his chest tighten painfully. Shame and embarrassment were quick to resurface once more as he turned back to the weapon he was calibrating.

Truth be told, he actually had been avoiding her but it wasn’t to escape punishment or anything like that. It was more to do with himself and his deeper, more base nature and it scared him with its intensity.

For the most part he’d grown up well away from cathar culture, only keeping to reciting certain chants in keeping with rituals at specific points in the year. He’d never done the Blood Hunt, mainly because it required going up against kiltik and they were only on Cathar. Sure, he’d grown up surrounded by plenty of his own race but his ancestors evacuation from their homeworld came at the cost of a significant portion of their culture. That was something that could never quite be gotten back ever again.

Despite the extensive loss, the dedication to one’s mate and family still remained and if anything had only grown stronger since the Mandalorian Wars. With it came strong urges to protect mates from any and all dangers, even at the cost of one’s life. 

His mind drifted to Kass tentatively and he took note this time of the warmth blooming in his chest. The feeling of peace and contentment that he hadn’t felt in years. 

Aric knew what he wanted now. To spend the rest of his life with her, maybe adopt a few runts or seek out a donor if the war eased off enough. Just so that they could go somewhere more quiet. But such dreams would need to wait considering Havoc came first and their careers. Kass would need to find a way out from the controlling thumb of her family too. Still, he’d be there when she did. He’d waited this long after all.

Dimly he wondered what his parents would think if he decided to change careers. As a child and teenager he’d grown up feeling immensely pressured and angry by things he saw over the news regarding the ongoing galactic war with the Empire. He was lucky enough to have not been affected directly by the Blockade which nearly starved out Coruscant and other core worlds. But on the days where he went to school he passed by people living on the streets. Most were refugees or people who’d come back from the long war, changed and with hollow eyes from having seen too much battle. 

There was one group of kids, a lot younger than he, that banded together and gathered up any others running around that had nowhere to go. One afternoon on his way back home he saw one of the older ones comforting a crying child who was screaming for their mother. It took a moment before the older kid’s face crumpled and he held the younger one close as he broke down in restrained tears. The sight swayed him and it was that moment he decided to be a soldier for the Republic, so things like this wouldn’t repeat themselves and so he could pay back the debt of his people.

He remembered telling his father what he wanted to do after school. Watching the older man beam with a deep pride as his large hand scruffled through his hair. His deep growling voice murmuring in catharese “Do our people proud, Aric.” before Aric stood straight at attention and saluted him.

A sharp sting in his temple drew him out of the memory and he sighed as he gave up on the gun, shoving it back in the locker to be fixed later.

Clanking noises caught his attention and he looked around the door at Vik opening up panels in the ship that were used to get to the wiring. Folding his arms he came up behind the weequay and watched for a time. “What’re you up to Vik?” He growled, catching Vik by surprise judging by the loud metallic bang.

“Looking for where the captain stuffed my tools.” He growled as he rubbed the back of his head. “She wanted me to fix the shit with Red but I need my stuff back.”

“And you’re doing that _now_?”

“What better time? I work better alone anyway.” Vik said as he opened another compartment but stopped when Aric moved and held his foot on it, keeping it closed.

“Not happening, Vik. You’re stuck here. Same as me.” he growled. “You heard the captain’s orders.”

“I might have had a ringing in my ears at the time she said them. But fine. Just don’t go crying to me if a bunch of bounty hunters show up at the door with a grenade bouquet.” Vik slammed the other open compartment shut and dusted himself off.

Aric rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Sure...provided they have a death wish. Don’t you have anything better to do than rip the ship apart?”

“Not really, since Ithesda took my toys and hid them. Unlike most people I don’t fill my spare time whacking those test dummies you have out back.”

“How do you fill your day?” Aric said sarcastically before sighing. “Refill the cryo grenades since the captain’s been burning through them. Those tools you at least have available, last I checked.”

Vik raised a brow. “Yes sir.” He replied before stalking back to his usual spot to get crafting.

Without all that much else to do, Aric returned to work until he heard the door open and voices come from the entrance. Kass’s voice was the loudest and she seemed fine, though there was a odd metallic clanking sounding through the hall and he poked his head outside the door.

Forex came into view, appearing happy but his chassis was moderately damaged from blaster fire. There was a few spots where the metal was almost destroyed, particularly on his arms and front and Aric raised a eyebrow at Dorne and Kass in question.

“We had to bail out the Safecrackers.” Kass explained when she arrived and caught his look. “They’d gotten themselves stuck in a corner while trying to take out a bunker so we had to go be a very loud diversion.”

“I see...but why is Forex...?”

“We had to activate his tanking speciality since he’s the only one of us aside from Vik who has their own shield generator.” Kass replied. “He volunteered for the job, I promise. Actually he had a bit too much fun charging several people down.” She eyed him off with a raised eyebrow as he clanked his way back to the briefing room. “That aside, I’ll be making a stop back at Carrick Station so he can get repaired though it may take a little while considering the material shortage.”

Aric frowned. “There’s a shortage now? How bad?”

Looking around, Kass inclined her finger to him to get him to follow her to the cockpit. As Kass took off from the orbital station and set course for Carrick Station. The ship slipped into hyperspace as he leaned against the bulkhead to wait on her response.

“According to Dorne, even basic supplies are taking several weeks for your ordinary rank and file. SpecForces have priority over in resources but even we’re beginning to feel the pinch. On estimate for Forex’s repairs? A week, maybe two considering I don’t know what the damage is or how extensive it goes. Repairing droids isn’t exactly my speciality, so I can do only basic maintenance.”

Aric shook his head in dismay. “I can only imagine what would happen if what that guy said was true. Not that I believe in the whole Force nonsense. But if this news is accurate then I can only imagine what it’d mean in the future and why the Empire would need something like the Gauntlet.”

Kass turned around in her seat and rested her arm on the back. “It's a near clean decisive victory to force Republic surrender. I’d say judging by that factor, then the Empire is about as strapped for resources as we are. Quite ingenious actually from a tactics standpoint.”

There was silence as Aric frowned at her but otherwise said nothing. “So what would be your guess for the future then? Provided the mission succeeded and the Gauntlet was taken out?”

“Hmm...my guess is that it’d force the Empire into action. I have no doubt in my mind that wrecking one of the Empire’s biggest toys is going to break the treaty. But we all knew that it was going to go at some point and the Republic can’t be stuck just reacting to problems forever.” Kass replied as she rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “It’ll probably break out into open warfare after this and the Empire will throw everything they have. Though to be frank I’m more concerned for the people long term. We can’t afford a repeat of the Blockade unless we want the riots to begin again.”

Aric nodded. “I agree. Means there’ll be a lot of pressure on you especially.”

“Which means we need to work together as a team...and speaking of teams-”She said before narrowing her eyes at him. “-mind explaining what in hell you were thinking with Vik and the fight?”

“I….” Aric paused, fumbling for an answer to best explain himself. “I just...reacted. I saw Vik get too close to you, I saw that you looked scared and after he goaded me I fell for it like a idiot.”

“Yeah. I’d agree on the idiot part.” Kass said before sighing. “On technicality terms I should be stripping you of your XO spot and handing it to Dorne before throwing both you and Vik in the brig...or at least locking you in the cargo bay since we don’t have a actual brig.”

He winced slightly. “I think being stuck with him for weeks on end would be the ultimate torture…” He muttered as he focused on Kass’s frown.

“I’m serious here Aric. If I stuck every single offense you’ve made since I took command of Havoc in the register, you’d have been discharged by now or demoted so hard your career would be dead.” Kass said and watched him shuffle awkwardly. “You’re lucky I didn’t since I knew with the initial fights that you were blowing off steam because of Tavus. Vik’s antics got covered up because we’d all be screwed if it’d gotten out.”

“That bad?”

“That bad. Aric, I know you’re protective of me and I appreciate it but if this continues then maybe it’s for the best we split up.” She saw him freeze up to the point he almost looked like a furry statue and had to continue. “I’m worried about you. About how you’d handle things if by some chance some lucky plasma bolt got me one day. Havoc command instantly falls to you and if you can’t handle it then everything we’ve fought and accomplished will mean nothing.”

“I know damn it!” He snapped but stopped when he saw her widened eyes at his outburst. “I know already…”

Kass watched as he shifted from his position and paced the cockpit. She could see that something was pent up in him but she didn’t know how to even begin easing his suffering. “Aric, what’s wrong?”

He stopped and glanced toward the door as Dorne wrapped up her shower. “I’ll...talk later. Privately. So we won’t be overheard. Go get cleaned up from Quesh, the hutt venom is a bit too overpowering.”

She frowned but stood up. “Alright. I’ll hold you to it.”

Aric just nodded and left her be. He spent the next few hours beating up a dummy, much to Vik’s annoyance at the noise, to beat back conflicting emotions and get his thoughts in line. By the time he was ready to talk, Kass was already in a call with Balkar over something. So rather than distract her, he just left her be and went back to work instead. The tension between them returning with a vengeance all the way back to Carrick Station.


	35. Cantina Questioning

Kass sat on a seat in Carrick Station’s cantina, her fingers drumming a quiet beat on her glass as she sat and waited for Balkar to arrive. The area was quiet at least though she would have preferred sitting on the upper ring for that extra piece of privacy. But the wristband to get up there would take about three years worth of wages and she didn’t want to have to explain the peculiar drain on her bank account to her parents. Her face turned grim as she thought about how much she felt like a five year old with an allowance.

“Why the long face there, Captain?” Came a familiar voice just nearby and her head jerked up immediately. Her gaze fell upon Balkar wearing his usual smile but this time he was accompanied by someone else completely new.

The stranger’s brown hair was gelled up like some kind of orobird crest and his brown eyes watched with a level of polite interest. Cranial implants also caught her eye but she didn’t stare too long at them before she turned back to Balkar. “Oh you know, life, the universe and everything.” Kass responded as they took up seats on the opposite side from the table to her. “You’re lucky I was headed out this way anyway. I was half expecting to be summoned to the Slippery Slopes again.”

Balkar grimaced a bit. “Yeah well...Jorgan’s stunt and some other matters put a stop to that damn fast. All I can safely say is we’ve been ordered to pull out of the area for the time being.”

“I’m guessing being away from the holoads is more of a blessing then.”

“Hah. Yeah.” He replied before gesturing to a droid and ordering a round of drinks. “Thanks for setting aside the time though, I know how bad SpecForce timetables can get...and I was expecting Jorgan to be hanging around. Where is the grump?”

Kass sighed as she tapped on her glass again. “Still under punishment for picking fights with one of the other crew members. Things got a bit...chaotic to say the least.”

“Now that surprises me, here I thought he was always the epitome of control.” Balkar said sarcastically. “Anyway...I’m sure you’re keen to know the reason I called you out here.”

“The thought’s crossed my mind…” Kass murmured. “I take it that’s why Mister Silent is here?”

“That’s part of it.” Balkar said before gesturing to the other man. “This is Theron Shan, also a member of the SIS and a personal friend of mine-”

“I prefer professional work colleague.” Theron cut in. “But it’s nice to finally meet the commanding officer of Havoc Squad. You’ve made quite a name for yourself out there.”

Kass blinked, then was instantly on guard as she looked to Balkar. “Alright, start talking Balkar. The fact you aren’t working alone is getting suspicious but if you don’t get to the point and fast then I’m walking.”

“I told you she’d see right through it.” Balkar hissed as he elbowed Theron in the side. “You really need to work on your conversation skills.”

“Hey, I was just being polite...annnnd she’s glaring.” Theron replied as he rubbed his ribs with a wince.

“Last warning you two.” Kass growled as she folded her arms across her chest. “And stop talking about me as though I’m not here. I hate that.”

Balkar shifted uncomfortably as he looked guilty so Theron leaned on the table as he took over. “Since he’s not going to come right out and say it, I guess it’s up to me.” He said before staring intently at Balkar. “Captain, as you know the SIS investigates affairs both within and outside the Republic. Since the prior Havoc Squad’s betrayal your name has crossed our desks before but nothing to the level like Senior Agent Zane’s pushing as of late.”

“Oh really now…” Kass replied as she stared at the pair of men balefully. “And here I thought he’d have finally graced me with his presence by now.”

“Captain…” Balkar said, taking over the conversation. “...I won’t lie here, but we found certain things about you that don’t add up. Things that will put your position in jeopardy if Zane gets what he wants and decides to make this public.” When Kass didn’t respond he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “What we need you to do is confirm if things are true or false. That’s it. We want to help you, really we do. You’re a great soldier, you look out for your crew but the stuff that’s been pulled out...that’s going to raise a lot of uncomfortable questions. Worst case scenario based on what we’ve found and the fact you’re SpecForces...it means most of your life in prison and considering your ties with Jorgan…”

Kass felt sweat slide down the back of her neck and she fought the urge to wipe it away. “You’re saying ‘we' but technically it's just you who I know doesn’t want me in jail, Balkar. No offence, Shan. But what the hey, I’m curious to see what’s been dug up exactly.” She said, her tone sounding calm when really it was all false bravado and deep inside she felt the urge to be sick as the past threatened to repeat itself.

“No offence taken.” Theron replied as he pulled a datapad out from his pocket. “Okay...so apparently you’ve given clearance for a XS Freighter to dock on Taris, Nar Shaddaa, Tatooine and Alderaan, no questions asked. Said freighter is registered under several different aliases but the name Rea-Lana Draeth managed to pop up as captain of the ship after some probing of local sources.”

There was a slapping sound as Kass facepalmed hard. Her nose turned a bright red from the force of the slap when she pulled it away. “I’m going to freaking kill her. Anything that ship in particular is tied to?”

“Several different smuggling operations at least, including….one set of exotic and also illegal ah…..ahem….intimate adult products.” Theron said as the other occupants of the table raised their eyebrows at him.

“So...sex toys then.” Kass said and she watched with a hint of amusement as he grew flustered. Even Balkar had a slight smile appearing on his face.

“Right, back to the topic at hand.” Theron said loudly prompting Balkar to shake his head. 

“Smooth going Theron.” He said, managing to make Kass snort in amusement which broke the tension somewhat.

“Back to the topic at hand.” Theron repeated firmly and returned to the datapad. “Following that lead of the captain’s name we managed to trace her back to the Draeth family. Though it was difficult considering that all traces of her existence seemed to be wiped out. I only just managed to find a copy of a birth certificate with their signatures and a few old private tutor records but little else. But here’s where it gets weird, seems she had a twin sister who’s records suddenly stopped thirteen years ago. Instead, payments from that family are sent to one ‘Kassela Ithesda’ instead and she was recommended into the Corellian Military Academy.” His gaze flicked up to Kass who’d gone slightly pale. “Falsifying records with the military is a grave offence, Captain. Usually only worth about five years in a decent prison. But considering how deep you are within SpecForce-”

Balkar elbowed him again. “Since when did this turn into an interrogation, Theron?”

“Since potentially Republic security and secrets could be at risk here.” Theron spoke harshly but he had a point and Balkar shut up. “Now...following on from that I found an interesting array of payments being made to various senators, along with transmissions being made to Governor Saresh and Senator Krasul among others.” Kass just raised a eyebrow as he continued.

“We also have transmission records from Nolan Draeth requesting your services to assist Saresh with anything she desires. Also more recently your name’s popped up for someone named “Red Hand” Magran over some weapons deals.”

“Assisting a senator isn’t against the rules, Shan. But you have me on a portion of it and the last part is being rectified...hopefully.”

“Hopefully?” Balkar asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Short story, Tanno Vik decided to get up to old antics. It got dealt with quickly and he’s cleaning up the fallout.” Kass responded. “Now, to do some very fast explanation. Firstly, yes Rea is my sister. My twin to be exact...who soon won’t be living. Yes I am Nolan Draeth’s daughter but no I don’t have any idea what he’s up to with his bank account. It's not exactly information he deems me to be worthy of knowing.”

Theron raised a eyebrow at the bitter note that had entered her voice. “You aren’t exactly a willing participant in all this are you?”

Kass and Balkar blinked at him, though Kass had paled again and fast. “What makes you say that?”

“The phrasing you used just now, the fact you’re white as a sheet and instantly on the defensive with my questioning.” Theron replied as he lowered the datapad to the table.

She narrowed her eyes at that. “Yeah, well it's hard not to be when I have virtually the entire galaxy looking up my record repeatedly. With one person apparently actively looking to get me thrown out rather than face me directly, and I really hate underhanded tactics. Look, I can’t give you any more information than what I have already in regards to my family. Period. I don’t know why my father’s in contact with Saresh, I’m just the lackey who has no say in the matter.”

Both Theron and Balkar stared at her, enough that she was itching to jump out of her seat and move somewhere far far away. “You know if there’s a problem you can talk to us...or at the very least me.” Balkar said gently.

“You and several other people.” Kass muttered and sighed before draining what remained of her glass. “Look, there’s more to this mess than what it looks like and I don’t want to get other people involved unless I absolutely have to. The least I can say is that to my knowledge, what my family’s up to isn’t a threat to Republic security. But that’s it.”

Balkar frowned but nodded. “She has a point Theron, even if it is questionable, there’s nothing to say that SpecForces can’t assist senators with side jobs as long as it doesn’t interfere with their primary mission.” He said as he took the datapad and glanced over it. “The only things really shady is the stuff involving Red Hand and her-”

Kass cut Balkar off as she stood up without warning and darted over to a white haired woman leaning against the cantina with a wookie. Suddenly she grabbed her twin by the scruff of her jacket and hauled her ass back to her table despite the other woman’s struggles. “Sit your ass down and you-” She growled at the wookie. “-don’t even think about going for the blade.”

“So much for friendly greetings.” Rea huffed as she sat down and straightened her jacket. “Huh...I thought you were interested in stuffy angry furballs, what’s with these two lookers?”

“One’s a...friend I worked a few jobs with and the other I just met.” Kass replied as she kept her eye on the wookie. “Balkar, Shan. Meet the sex toy courier…”

Rea instantly looked shifty. “How’d you find out about that?”

“Oh about the same time I found out you’ve been using my boarding clearance to get around.” Kass replied, placing one hand on her twin’s head and tightening the grip painfully.

“Ow...owowow! Okay okay okay, no more messing with your stuff! I get it!” she yelped and pushed her hand away.

Theron raised a eyebrow. “This...honestly wasn’t what I was expecting.”

Both Kass and Rea looked at him, one having her brows raised while the other looked mildly amused. “And what were you expecting, handsome?” Rea asked as Kass facepalmed but said nothing.

“Certainly not someone like you smuggling...that…uh…” This time three pairs of eyes stared intently at him and he shuffled in his seat. “I think I’ll just shut up now.”

“Might be for the best Theron. So...just so we can get this clear, you were the one who borrowed your sister’s clearance in order to visit Taris etcetera?” Balkar asked, a bit of a grin on his lips at Theron’s clear embarrassment.

“Yeesssss that would be me. Just to be clear, who are you two again?” Rea asked with suspicion clear in her tone.

“Jonas Balkar and my companion there, currently turning an amusing shade of red, is Theron Shan. SIS. We intercepted a pending investigation into your sister and wanted to be sure of several details.”

“Ah. Tell you what, if he joins me for drinks sometime then I’ll tell you everything you need to know...including Kass’s secret hobbies.” She replied as she eyed off Theron with a warm but heated smile though it quickly fell when Kass slowly turned her head and stared at her sister.

“Don’t make me punch you.” She warned. “I’m already angry about the clearance thing. Don’t push it.”

The interaction seemed to spur a slight change in Theron and he began to relax just a little bit in their company as Rea suggested the wookie take a break somewhere until they were done. 

Kass on the other hand was more tense as she thought about the close call, but there was something she needed done and quickly so she pulled out a datapad of her own and accessed a file. “I need to ask a favor of you Balkar while you’re here. Maybe Shan can lend a hand.”

“What is it? Some kind of secret project?” Balkar asked with a smirk before taking the datapad and frowning. “Encryption…?”

“Following on from the Zane thing, I realise I’m asking a lot but I need this asap. This was a file that Jorgan lifted from the secret Imp prison, it's supposed to contain the locations of the Deadeyes.”

Theron raised a eyebrow at that. “Oh? You ordering people to break into prisons now?”

“I prefer to call it rescuing. But sure let’s roll with that.” Kass replied. “I’m aware you guys have some kind of secret op thing going on involving them but it’s been over a year since they were initially caught. These things shouldn’t last that long unless it's a full blown campaign.

Balkar’s face turned grim. “Sometimes these things can last longer than just a year, Kass. It's not that simple.”

There was a moment where Theron was quiet before he took the datapad from Balkar and looked it over. “To be fair though, sometimes things  _ are _ that simple. For what details I can give, considering the company-” He gestured to Rea who smirked which prompted him to clear his throat again. “-Zane’s been pushing this little plan of his for quite some time, enough so that it's being a real pain for those trying to do their own jobs. He’s been looking for something for a while now and contracted the Deadeyes for assistance in it. What is worrying me is the fact he seems to have just left people where they were rather than gone in to recover them the second the mission went south.”

“Any ideas what he’s looking for?” Kass asked with a heavy frown. Aric was not going to like hearing this.

“Not yet, but he’s almost fanatical in his search for it and won’t tell anyone what’s going on.” Theron replied grimly before looking down at the datapad and getting to work. “I can probably get you the first location now but the rest will take a bit of time to complete since I have to field Zane’s insane requests as well. That okay with you?”

Kass nodded. “Just do what you can.”

Theron nodded as Balkar waited quietly on stand by. A few short minutes later, Theron had decrypted the first part with ease and passed the datapad back to Kass. 

“Why would the Deadeyes be with the Exchange?” She said after reading it over.

“Sometimes the Exchange offers space for the Imperials for a price. They could also be there as just guard detail as well.” Rea said as she peeked over her twin’s shoulder. “That particular area though...last I heard, it was a labor camp. Considering its Tatooine as well, that’s not good long term.”

Kass narrowed her eyes and growled. “Damn it. I’ll need to move fast then. Balkar, Shan….thanks for sticking your necks out for this. It means a lot to me personally. Any time you need a favor then just call Havoc Squad.” She said as she darted up and left a pile of credits on the table. “Your drinks are on me. Thanks again!” She called as she took off at a run up the stairs to catch a lift to the hanger bays.

Rea watched after her thoughtfully before turning her gaze back to Theron and Balkar. “So...elaborate to me why you two were looking into her?” She asked, her voice taking on a dangerously sweet tone.

Theron and Balkar looked nervously at one another before recounting the report that was built up for Zane. Rea’s face steadily turned more and more grim the more she heard.

“Fuck’s sake…” She muttered. “Dad’s got his claws in deep.”

“What do you mean?” Theron asked with a frown. “Some kind of family thing?”

“It's more complicated than that. Basically Dad has big plans involving the Senate for some reason since he’s already close to a large number of them, courtesy of mum’s connections. Potentially getting them all wrapped around his little finger.” She said as Balkar frowned.

“Any idea how deep this goes or his plans?” He asked, but he kept his tone low in case people overheard.

Rea had to think about it. “Ultimately I have no idea and he doesn’t stoop to the underworld for things. His forte is taking minimal resources and using them to his complete advantage. This includes Kass…”

Theron scowled for a moment before his face turned carefully neutral. “I realise this isn’t my place to ask considering we just met, but can you give me all the details you can?”

Rea sat back in her seat with a heavy sigh. “I’ll try but you might want to get more drinks, this’s going to take a while…” Said before beginning to go into detail about the dirty secrets of the Draeth family and Kass’s role in the mess.


End file.
